The Mental Guy
by ilyilyx3
Summary: Troy Bolton moves to and attends East High, only to become, The Mental Guy. Curious, and attracted, Gabriella goes against her friends' wishes, and hangs out with him. She then realizes that he's not exactly what meets the eye. TxG, slight AU.
1. Trailer

Haha. I know. I'm getting way in over my head right? Starting another story, when I haven't even really started _ML&J_. It's okay though. I'll try not to neglect anything. ;) Sorry for any mistakes!

(**Disclaimer:** I don't own HSM or any of its characters. Though in an alternate universe, we all do! Yay us:P)

(**A/N:** Regular are quotes, _Italics_ are scenes, **Bold** is the narrator.)

**Summer's finally over, ****and Gabriella ****get****s**** to see ****Sharpay**** again.**

_Shows Gabriella talking on the phone with __Sharpay_

"Yay! We'll finally get to see each other again!"

"I know Gabs. And guess what?! I have big news!"

"Really? What is it?"

"I found a new boyfriend in New York! He's moving to East High with us!"

**Gabriella meets her new boyfriend.**

_Shows __Sharpay__ introducing them_

"Gabs, this is Jacob. Jake, this is Gabriella."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

**Their senior ****year**** brings back many memories, and ****a new face****…**

_Shows Gabriella, looking at a guy_

"Hey, who's that guy?"

"Who…him? He's my brother, Troy."

**After a week in school, Troy gets labeled as 'The Mental Guy'.**

_S__hows the girls telling Gabriella about him_

"What do you guys know about Troy?"

"Didn't you hear? He's mental. I mean look at the way he dresses."

**There was something about him**** that attracted her to him.**

_Shows Gabriella staring at Troy_

"Gabs… Gabriella?"

"Ughh, here we go again with the spacing out."

**The only thing she didn't know is that he was attracted to her too.**

_Show Troy drawing a picture of her in art class_

"Mr. Bolton, I think it's the best work I've ever seen in all my years of teaching."

"Umm, thank you Mrs. Bleak?"

**After a period of time, she decided that she wanted to ****at least talk to him,**

**But people wouldn't allow it.**

_Shows Jacob pulling Gabriella back_

"I just want to talk to him."

"No Gabi, he's my brother. He's only trouble."

"Yeah Gabs, listen to Jake."

**She didn'****t listen****, when the perfect opportunity came,**

**She took it and she went to for it anyway.**

_Shows Gabriella following Troy_

"Hey, umm Troy?"

"How do you know my name, Gabriella?"

"I- umm. I just do. Wait, how do you know my name?"

**She spends a whole day w****ith him, and asks him what she wanted to know…**

_Shows Troy and Gabriella talking at a park_

"Hey Troy…"

"Yeah?"

"Why do they call you the mental guy?"

**She finds out many things about him,**

**Including the fact that he's really misunderstood.**

_Shows Gabriella looking at pictures of him_

"He's had a really bad childhood…"

_Shows Gabriella looking through multiple drawings_

"Troy, did you draw all of these?"

"Well- umm, yeah.. I do those in honor of my mother."

**She's determined to get everyone to know the real him,**

_Show Gabriella dragging Troy somewhere_

"Please, would you do this for me Troy?"

"Only for you Gabriella, only for you."

**The more time she spends with him**** planning it out****, the more they fall for each other.**

_Shows Troy and Gabriella leaning in_

"Troy-"

"Shh…"

**They start going out, and everything is perfect.**

_Shows Gabr__iella and Troy holding hands, and walking together_

"I'm glad I'm here with you."

"I'm glad too."

**W****hen her plan's finally ready, there's a huge misunderstanding.**

**He t****hink****s**** that ****their relationship**** is all a joke,**

**And that ****she's help****ing Jacob plotting against him.**

_Shows Troy gl__aring at Jacob, Gabriella, and __Sharpay__ laughing_

"I can't believe I ever trusted her.."

**He ends up not showing up at all****…**

_Shows Gabriella standing on a stage_

"Umm, he should be here soon. I think."

**And even ignoring her.**

_Shows Gabriella trying to talk to him_

"Troy! What's wrong? Wait, why aren't you talking to me?"

"I just don't want to be a pawn in your stupid game, Gabriella."

**She doesn't know why he's acting that way…**

_Shows Gabriella crying with her friend__s__ comforting her_

"I j-just don't k-know what I d-did."

"Gabi, stop crying. He's not worth it."

"B-but I love him."

**Until Jacob told her the real reason the two brothers don't hang out.**

_Shows a nervous Jacob__, fiddling with his hands_

"I think I know why Gabs. You see…"

**Will Troy ever find out the truth and forgive Gabriella?**

_Shows Troy shaking his head_

"I don't believe you Jacob."

"God damnit Troy! She loves you for god's sake! Why would she ever plot against you with me?"

"W-wait. She loves me?"

**Or will he just run away from his problems like he did before?**

_Shows Troy running_

"What do I do Mom?"

**The Mental Guy**

_Shows Troy hugging Gabriella_

"I love you."

"I love you too, my Mental Guy."

What do you guys think? I really like how the trailer came out for this one. Hah, that's just my opinion. But what do you guys think of the story? It's not intense like _Who's That Girl_, but I like the plot. Do you guys think I should continue? If you do, I'll try to start it asap, not like _ML&J_. ;) Btw, I'll post the first chapter for that tomorrow. I'm just editing it right now.


	2. Gab & Jake

**Aww,**** thanks for the reviews guys. (:**** They're much appreciated. ****Haha.**** Aren't you glad that I didn't take like a month for th****e first chapter for this one?****Only took thirteen days.**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 1- Gab & Jake **

**Nobody's POV-**

The teenaged brunette laid on her bed, reading a book. The book was a tragic love story that her father used to read to her when she was younger. They were hopeless romantics together. She would read every time his death's anniversary came along. She sighed as she fingered the last page of the book, and flipped it over. She quietly read the last page, and sadly smiled, as she teared up.

"As the last petal fell from the long forgotten rose, a heart beated its one last time…" She read out loud, as she closed the book, and held up to her chest. Closing her eyes tightly, as she reminisced the memory of her and her dad finishing the book that was slowly starting to fade away by the years that were passing.

Her phone started to vibrate loudly, notifying her that had gotten a new text message.

"Gab! Text me back. NOW!!" It began. "No, better yet, I'll call you. Don't waste your time texting. 3 -Arpay… Calling in 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…" the moment she stopped reading, her phone rang, just as Sharpay had said. She chuckled at her friend's amazing timing, despite her being sad just a few moments ago.

She answered her phone to hear a blonde squealing loudly. "Arpay… Shar… Sharpay!" she yelled, trying to get her excited friend's attention. She sighed, as she rest her phone between her ear, and shoulder, as she was putting her book, and all of her memorabilia of her dad in a box, and put it back into it's proper place.

"This might be a while. Hold on Gabs." Ryan replied, as his sister was yelling at him in the background.

"Ryan! Why'd you take the phone from me?!? I wanna tell Gab the news!" she screeched. Gabriella lifted the phone from her ear, to prevent any damage, as she starting laughing again. "Told you," came his response. "Bye!"

"Bye Ry." she stated, before another voice took over the line.

"Hey Gab!" the blonde greeted.

"Hey Shar. What's up?" she replied.

"Not mucho."

"Can't believe that school starts in five days!" Gabriella complained.

"Yeah, it's such a bummer!" She responded. Gabriella gave her phone a look of disbelief.

"Arpay! What are you talking about? It's so not. When it comes, we'll finally get to spend some time together." The brunette said, disgruntled, as Sharpay gasped.

"Oh, whoops. I forgot to tell you." She stated.

"Tell me what?" Gabriella questioned.

"Something super extra fab-u-lous!"

"And…"

"We're back from New York!" Sharpay exclaimed excited.

"What? When? Where?"

"Might as well have asked how? and why? too." Ryan told her, as he yelped in pain.

"Shar!!!!" he yelled.

"Ryan!!!!" she mimicked, hitting him on the head again.

"Geez, take a chill pill sis." He said, as he rubbed his head to make the pain subside.

"Gab, brb. Gotta kill a certain ex-brother of mine." Sharpay told her friend, angrily, as the sounds of shuffling, running, yelling, screaming, and laughing evilly were heard through the phone. Gabriella rolled her eyes, as she started to laugh at her two friends' sibling bickery. Shuffling was heard on the phone again, as the blonde's voice sounded out through the other line again.

"Gab? I'm back."

"Finally. What'd you go to Ryan?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, just stuff that he'll never forget. Ever!" she said. "Don't even try!" she soon screeched to her brother, who was now trying to take her phone away from her again.

"Okay.."

"Yeah, topic changer please?" Sharpay pleaded, as Gabriella laughed.

"Umm… Oh! I got it." She said, as her friend cocked an eyebrow up in confusion.

"Yay! We'll finally get to see each other again!" she suddenly exclaimed, clapping loudly, as the blonde laughed.

"I know Gabs. And guess what?! I have big news!" she started, told her friend.

"Really? What is it?" Gabriella responded.

"I found a new boyfriend in New York! He's moving to East High with us!" she finished.

"How cool! What's his name?" the brunette questioned, intrigued.

"Jacob Bolton." Sharpay answered proudly. "It's such a hot name isn't it?"

"I don't think so…" Ryan interrupted them, on his own phone, making their conversation a three-way. The two best friends yelled for him to hang up, and get off, before threatening him of what they'd do if he didn't.

"Okay, okay. Chill." He said, as he slowly muttered "Girls…" under his breath, and hung up his phone, as the two laughed again.

The Sharpay and Gabriella spent the rest of the talking the night away, telling each other about what the other missed during their short separation. After both agreeing to up at Savvy's Restaurant the next day, and multiple interruptions from their mom's to get of the phone, they finally did at two in the morning.

-------

As Gabriella was walking up the pathway to Savvy's, she peered over her right shoulder, and saw Sharpay's hot pink convertible parked, next to a black JMC, Jimmy truck, '73. She smiled when she saw this. Her best friend's new boyfriend was an oldie's lover, just like she was. She continued her way up the path, and opened the door. The bell rang, signaling the door was being opened from the outside, usually meaning that another customer was entering the restaurant.

She looked around, trying to find Sharpay, and her new boyfriend. She rolled her eyes when she spotted her friend making out with some blonde guy. She looked down to her feet trying to avoid seeing their intimate moment any closer, as she walked near them. Gabriella was nearing a big plant that was sitting in the middle of the restaurant, near the fountain; she bumped into someone, immediately falling from the impact.

She embraced herself for a bad fall, and pain, but never felt one. Instead, she felt a pair of strong arms, maneuver their way across her waist, and gripped it. She looked up, and was staring into a pair of deep cobalt eyes that were staring intently back at her. She then focused her attention on the guy who saved her from receiving multiple bruises on her back.

He was a tall guy, probably a good five inches taller than she was. His light brown hair had a blonde streak of hair running down the middle of it. Because of it being longer than the rest of his hair, it could've been mistaken for a Mohawk, if it didn't relax on top of his seemingly long hair that stopped about an inch below his ear. His blue eyes captivated her, and she continued to stare into them. He broke their eye contact, as he helped her steady herself. She felt the warmth of his body heat leave her, as she stood merely a foot away from him.

"Sorry. I was in a hurry. I walked around exploring the town, and I ventured in here, and I just saw that my brother was sitting with his girlfriend in here, and I wanted to leave. So I started running, and…" he trailed off, realizing that he was starting to ramble. He grinned sheepishly. "yeah. Here we are in this awkward conversation." Pointing down, and motioning to the position the two were in. She opened her mouth, and was about to respond, when she heard someone calling her name. She leaned her body over from behind the bush, just enough to look over, and see Sharpay motioning to her.

"Gabi!" she called, as Gabriella looked at her, and mouthed 'What?' "Gabriella! Get over here! I want you to meet Jake!" she exclaimed, motioning to the blonde that she had just been making out with.

"Hold on!" Gabriella replied, as she waved her to her friend, as started to turn her head back to the boy in front of her. "Sorry, that's just my friend. But thanks for…" she trailed off, when she fully turned her body and head back, but she realized that the guy that she had bumped into, was now gone. Her slight smile turned into a frown. She ran a hand through her hair, as she sighed, and walked over to her friend's table. She plastered a fake smile on her face, as sat down next to the couple.

"Hey Gab! Took you long enough." Her best friend exclaimed, as her fake smile left her face, and a smirk appeared.

"Well, I would've been here sooner, but I saw the grossest thing ever!" she exclaimed, putting on a pretend grossed out face, as Sharpay, and her boyfriend listened to her, wanting to hear what she had to say. "Two blondes were sucking off each other's faces!" she finished, eyeing, and pointing at the two in front of her.

"Oh that was you coming through the door?!?" Sharpay asked, carefully. Gabriella nodded, as the blonde groaned, and leaned her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Oh boy. I'm gonna hear about this for a long time aren't I?" she asked rhetorically, as Gabriella nodded again. "Great…" she muttered to herself, as her friend laughed.

"Shar, aren't you going to introduce us?" the blonde beside her asked motioning to the both of them.

"Oh! Sorry Jake. Almost forgot." She replied, and she smiled sheepishly.

"Gabs, this is Jacob. Jake, this is Gabriella." she introduced, as she pointed to one or the other, while mentioning their names. Jacob looked over at Gabriella, and smiled.

"Nice to meet you." He stated politely, as she returned it.

"You too." She responded, as they shook hands.

"So…" Jacob started. "How 'bout them Lakers, ehh? They played the Dodgers yesterday." He stated, stifling a chuckle. "Yup. They won by 15." He finished, nodding his head up and down, as laughter broke out between the two.

"What's so funny?" Sharpay asked when the laughter subsided. She cocked her head to the side, showing that she didn't understand. Jacob laughed, as he put his arm around her, and kissed her forehead.

"Just a little sports humor Pay." He responded, tightening his grip on her, as she put her arms around his waist.

"Ooh. Okay." She said, as she started laughing uncontrollably. Gabriella and Jacob looked at her weirdly, as they were wondering why she was suddenly laughing.

"Umm, Arpay, why are you laughing?" the brunette asked her friend unsurely, as she abruptly stopped laughing.

"Huh? Oh nothing. You guys had a chance to laugh, I wanted to too." She answered, shrugging, as they continued to look at her weirdly, but they soon stopped, as they shrugged it off. The three sat in a comfortable silence. Just looking around, trying to find something to say. Until Jacob broke the silence a couple minutes later.

"So, Gabriella-" he started, but was cut off by the brunette.

"Call me Gab, or anything besides Gabriella. The longer version makes me feel like I'm being punished or something." She said, as she wrinkled her nose, and shook her head, as Sharpay and Jacob laughed a little.

"Oh, okay. So, _Gab_, got any siblings?" Jacob asked curiously.

"No, I'm the only child. But sometimes, I think of Sharpay and Ryan as my sibs." She answered honestly, smiling. As Sharpay awed , and got out of Jacob's grasp, and gave her a hug. After the two best friends let go of the hug, Sharpay leaned into Jacob, and their arms entwined with the other once again.

"Do you have any siblings Jacob?" she asked.

"Call me Jake, Gab." He said poking his tongue out at her. "It makes me feel bad when you call me Jacob." He finished, mimicking her wrinkling her nose. He and Sharpay started laughing, as Gabriella slightly glared at the two.

"Ha ha. Very funny." She replied sarcastically, as they continued to laugh. "Now answer the question, _Jake_."

"Fine." He answered, as he opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a squeal, and shriek that came from the other side of the restaurant, after the bell rang.

**Ooh, who shrieked? Who squealed? Haha. It's a lame cliffy, because it's pretty easy to guess. (: **

**Sorry for the shortness**** of this**** But ****you guys know that ****the first**** three chapters are usually ****intro****'****s**** to the story.**** Umm, what'd you guys think of it? I ****kinda**** like it. ****Haha.**** You'll never ever hear me say that I'm pleased with a chapter or anything. ****Insecurity.**** :P**** Next chapter should be up in about two, ****three days. (:**** Hope you guys enjoyed it.**** Sorry for any of my usual mistakes. (;**

**Review!**

**-Ilyilyx3**


	3. Familiar

**Yay! Another update only in two**** day****s****! (: Aren't you guys happy?**** Haha. It's a short author's note. No worries. (;**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 2- Familiar**

**Nobody's POV-**

"Fine." He answered, as he opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a squeal, and shriek that came from the other side of the restaurant, after the bell rang.

"Gab! Shar!"

Sharpay, Gabriella, and Jacob looked over, and saw the two girls rushing over towards them.

"Hey Kels! Hey Tay!" the blonde and brunette exclaimed as they got up, and went to hug their friends, as Jacob sat awkwardly to the side, watching them.

"Sharpay Marie Evans! When did you get back from New York?!? You should've told us!" Taylor scolded, as the four girls let go of the hug.

"I told Gabi." The blonde argued, as she pointed to Gabriella.

"No you didn't."

"Gab! Not helping!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defeat, and playfully glaring at Gabriella, as all of the girls laughed together in harmony.

"Ahem." Jacob pretended to clear his thoart, as Sharpay looked at him, and gasped.

"Oh! Silly me. I forgot about you again." She said, shaking her head, as she went over to him, and pecked him on the lips.

Taylor and Kelsi stood on the side, gawking at the couple, as Gabriella stood there, silently laughing inwardly, as she watch her friends' expressions amusedly.

"Tay, Kel, this is Jacob, or you could call him Jake." Sharpay introduced, as she motioned to him once again. "That's Taylor, and Kelsi. More besties. Under Gab of course." She explained, as she motioned to the girls, who stood beside a laughing Gabriella. The two girls squealed and started jumping up and down, and they waved to him.

"Hi Jacob." They said flirtatiously batting their eyelashes, as they got closer to him, staring at him. Jacob immediately backed away a little, as he awkwardly waved his hand back. "Umm, hi…" he stated, before looking down, avoiding eye contact with anyone. All of the girls started to laugh uncontrollably. He looked up again, and stared at them weirdly.

"What's so funny?" he asked confused.

"Y-you should've s-seen your f-face! You so th-thought we were coming on to y-you!" Kelsi exclaimed, in between laughs. He sighed out of relief.

"Great! I seriously thought you were." He told them, shaking his head. After a couple more moments of their laughter, they all took their seats next to each other.

"Awesome pick Shar." Taylor started. "He didn't freak out like Kelsi's last boyfriend did. What was his name…" she trailed off trying to think of it.

"You mean Robert?" Gabriella asked, as Taylor shook her head no.

"Justin?" Sharpay guessed, as Taylor shook her head again.

"I got it! It was Seth!" She exclaimed, as Kelsi sighed, and shook her head.

"No. That was in the fifth grade, Tay. My last boyfriend was Kyle." She corrected them, as the other girls oh-ed.

"Okayy. Now that that's over, let's talk." Jacob stated, trying to change the subject as he desperately didn't want to hear the girls talk about Kelsi's love life.

"Let's talk about our feelings!" Taylor suddenly answered, as Jacob started to chuckle.

"Kay. Then, we can go to Gab's house, paint our nails, and have a girly, girly, sleepover!" he exclaimed in a fake girl voice, as he started to shake his head. "Ha-ha-ha, No. Let's play two truths and a lie. So we'd get to know each other better." He suggested. Everyone agreed, and they started to play the game, familiarizing with each other's personalities, and lives.

The next four days went by fast for the five of them. They spent their last days before school, shopping for it, and just hanging out, and getting to know each other even more. They relished their personal time together as much as they could, since school was soon starting.

-------

Kelsi, Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay walked into the halls of East High arms linked, as Sharpay stood on the side, hand in hand with Jacob. The five of them walked into the halls together, one by one leading each person to their perspective locker. At the end, Gabriella lead Jacob to the office, so he could retrieve his schedule, and necessities for his new school. When all of her accompanying duties were finished, Gabriella walked to her own locker.

"Hey Gabi!" Steve greeted as he passed by her. She smiled and waved back.

"Gab! Let's do lunch later. Kay?" Morgan asked, as she walked by the brunette, making a call me sign, as she turned the corner. Gabriella merely nodded, that being the only thing she could do since Morgan walked at such a fast pace.

After a couple more greetings from all of the familiar faces Gabriella knew, she finally arrived at her locker. She slowly opened her locker, and dropped off her new books for the year. She soon heard a commotion of whispering and chattering in the hallway, that wasn't there when she first arrived. She turned around, and had locked eyes with the same cobalt eyes that had seemed really familiar to her. She looked at the pair of eyes' owner, and saw that he was walking in the halls, taking steady steps.

He had a very unique look. He was wearing a navy colored blazer, with multiple designs, and stitches all over the back. Underneath it was a black t-shirt, with a colorful volcom design in the middle. His jeans also had stitches on it, as there were patches of other brand names all over them. He had a blonde streak in the middle of his hair that was spiked up. On his right shoulder, loosely hung his black and white striped backpack.

She took in his appearance, as her mind was swarmed with many thoughts, mostly questioning why he looked so familiar and if it was because she had seen him the year before or not. The two teenagers continued to lock eyes, as he continued to walk, and she stood by her locker.

He soon broke their eye contact, and went straight into the office like Jacob had. Gabriella stood there, looking at the office door questionably, before she shook her head, dismissing any thoughts that she had seen him before. She sighed as she closed her locker, and prepared to go to her first class of the day, homeroom with the infamous Ms. Darbus.

-------

Jacob stood inside the office, waiting for the grouchy secretary to come out again. He sighed, as he looked at the clock, noting that he would be late if she didn't return soon. He soon heard the door open, as he looked over and saw his half-brother coming in. His green eyes soon locked with his brother's blue ones.

"Where were you this morning Troy?" he asked curiously. "I wanted you to meet Sharpay. You know, my girlfriend… whom you avoided, and never met back in Brooklyn." Jacob finished, as Troy looked at him boredly.

"I went for fresh air, and then I just came here myself. Why didn't have fun with your slutty girlfriend?" he asked coolly, as Jacob felt telling him off, but he decided to save it for later. He disregarded his brother's last statement.

"We should've gone together." He began. "That's what Dad told me he wanted. He wanted us to be friends, or act like brothers at least." Jacob finished, and Troy snorted loudly.

"Since when do you listen to Dad?" Jacob clenched his right fist angrily, as Troy watched in amusement.

"Don't… even start that right now. You know I've been caring for dad after mom died. You should too." The blonde stated.

"Two things. One, Mary is not my mother. She's yours, only refer to her as that. No way in hell would I ever call her my mom." Troy explained coldly. "And two, I do care about Dad. I just don't care about what he wants."

"What the fuck Troy? The man's on his death bed. Stop sulking, and suck it up. He needs you." Jacob retorted.

"That's funny." The blue-eyed boy said sarcastically. "Since I seem to recall of a time when my mom and I needed him, and he wasn't there." His brother sighed.

"That's in the past Troy. Move on." Jacob responded, as Troy shook his head.

"Why would I?! I only have that to remember her by. Since some half brother of mine, destroyed all of the other things!" he exclaimed, as anger built up inside of him.

"I didn't know they meant that much to you." The blonde told him, shaking his head.

"Exactly. You don't know anything. You don't even care. You know what? Just fuck off, and leave me alone Jacob." Troy said as he paced around.

"Don't you even dare try that lame excuse, Troy. You know I care about you. We're brothers." Troy stopped pacing, and looked up at Jacob as he snorted.

"Excuse me? If you haven't noticed, we're only half brothers. And if you cared about me, you wouldn't have ruined my life. If you cared, you would've helped me and my mom, and not have existed at all." He retorted coldly.

Jacob felt the anger and sadness in Troy's voice, and started to feel guilt in him, as he thought about what Troy had said. He soon opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted the secretary coming back out. She called his name, and handed him a packet of paper.

"Here." She stated boredly. "And give this one to your brother." she told him, as she handed him another one, with Troy's name on it. Troy immediately plastered a fake smile on his face.

"There's no need." Troy started as he got closer to her, and looked down at her. "I'm Troy. I can take my own things, instead of having _him_ give them to me." He finished as he took his packet out of Jacob's grasp. "Thanks." He told her nonchalantly, as he faced Jacob. "Cya _Brother_." He said through gritted teeth, and started to walk out the door, slamming it behind him. Jacob turned his attention back to Ms. Whittman, who shrugged.

"Go on. Get out. You've got your needed items." She told him, as she sat back down, and continued to play solitaire on her computer. As Jacob walked over to the door, and opened it, she spoke again.

"Don't you even dare slam it." She stated, before returning her full attention to the card game in front of her.

Jacob sighed in frustration as he looked out into the hallway. He shook his head as he saw his brother's retrieving figure. _I didn't mean to ruin your life, __Troy… _he thought sadly, as Troy went into a classroom, and closed the door._ It was__ all __a __mistake…__everything was._

-------

Gabriella sat in her homeroom, doodling on her notebook, as she heard the door open and close. She looked up, and saw him again. He looked at her, before turning to Mrs. Darbus and talked to her about something, as she nodded, and got out of her chair, and stood up beside him.

"Pupils of the theatrical arts, listen up. We have a new student joining us today. This is…" she trailed off looking at the pass he gave her. "It doesn't seem to say your name." She said confusedly, as she looked at him again. "What's your name?" He shrugged as the class started to laugh, as Gabriella stared at him, studying his features again.

"Quiet!" Mrs. Darbus exclaimed, blowing her whistle that was hanging from her neck, as she turned to him again. "You." She said pointing at him. "Tell us your name this instant!" she yelled clearly angry. He smirked as he answered her.

"Who knows?" He said in nonchalance, as he shrugged, and walked towards the empty seat in the middle of the class, and sat down. Mrs. Darbus sighed in fury, as she sat down at her desk again, looking at her schedule to see what time her dreaded homeroom ended.

Meanwhile, Gabriella sat, and stared at the mysterious guy seated in a desk in front of her, still trying to find out why he looked so familiar. Sharpay sat beside her friend, staring at her in amusement, seeing that the new unnamed guy has caught Gabriella's eye. _First time in a while._ The blonde thought excitedly as she looked at the guy Gabriella was staring at. Looks a little challenging. It'll be so much fun to get them together!

**No cliffy. (:**

**Haha. I know, another short chapter. But they'll get longer. I'm still trying to get in tune with the story. Comments, suggestions? ****Send the in a r****eview****, or PM. (;**

**-Ilyilyx3**

**P.S. Again, sorry for any careless mistakes I missed.**


	4. Troy's 'Activeness'

**Sorry for the long**** wait. It's just**** I'm trying to update **_**Who's That Girl**_** more frequently, and in doing so, I'm starting to ignore this, and my other writing****. So yeah, that's my excuse. ****d:**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 3-**** Troy's 'Activeness'**

**Nobody's POV****-**

Blue eyes, met brown for the twelfth time that day. The two had been making eye contact with each other constantly, and Gabriella couldn't help but feel an attraction to this guy. She was determined to talk to him, or at least find out his name. She so far had one period with him, three with Sharpay, and zero with the others.

The bell rang, dismissing the class. Gabriella shook her head out of her thoughts, and went to her next period. While walking the hall, she felt to separate arms link with her. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion as she looked from both sides. She let out a breath of relief when she saw that on one side was Sharpay, and the other was Jacob.

"What are you two doing?" she questioned curiously. Sharpay laughed.

"Walking with you to our next period silly." She answered, as the brunette nodded, and stopped abruptly.

"Wait, but don't you-"

"Nope. The three of us have Mr. Schall for Biology this period." Sharpay explained, cutting her off.

"Awesome right?" Jacob asked, as Gabriella nodded.

"Very."

The three burst into laughter again, as they walked into their next class room.

"Line up against the board everyone. Once I call your name, you'll go to your assigned seat." Mr. Schall announced, as he called off all of the names. Just as the tardy bell rang, the door opened, as he walked into the room, and started to talk to Mr. Schall.

"Hey, Who's that guy?" Gabriella whispered to Jacob.

"Who… him? He's my brother Troy." Jacob answered.

"Your brother?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why haven't you introduce us before?" he sighed.

"You see soon enough." He replied, as Mr. Schall called his name.

"Wait- what?" she called after him, confused.

"Ms. Montez?" Mr. Schall called, as she turned to face him.

"Yes?"

"Go sit next to…" he trailed off, looking at him clipboard. "Mr. Bolton." He finished.

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure you heard me Miss. Montez." He stated, before calling off another student's name.

She raised her eyebrow at him, before walking over to Jacob, and sitting next to him. She was feeling very relieved that Sharpay was sitting in front of them. She tapped the blonde's sholder.

"Arpay!" she whispered, as the blonde turned around.

"Yeah Gab?"

"Which lunch do you have?" The brunette questioned.

"Second." Sharpay answered, as Gabriella groaned.

"I have first." She replied.

"How'd you manage to score that?"

"Electives." The blonde shook her head.

"Ha ha. I told you to take Drama with me, and the rest."

"But I couldn't pass up the Art class. It seemed so much fun!" Gabriella whined.

"You and your obsessive art disorder Gabs."

"Whatever Pay." She retorted, as the two felt someone tapping both of their shoulders. They turned around, and saw Jacob looking at them.

"Guys, Mr. Schall's looking at you." He warned, as he sat back down.

The two girls looked up, and saw that he was right. Mr. Schall, and the entire class were focusing their attention on them. Sharpay and Gabriella both turned an uncomfortable red, and they shrunk back into their chairs.

-------

First lunch started the next period for Gabriella. She had already gotten her lunch; she was just looking around to see if she knew anybody. She then locked eyes with Troy, once again. They looked at each other, before he broke the contact. She watched him intently as he stood up on a table, and started to dance the robot randomly, attracting everyone's attention. He stopped after a couple of second, and leaned down to his backpack. He took out a red glove, and put it on his head. He then took out a handful of feather, and threw them up into the air. After, he started to do the chicken dance.

"I don't want to be a chicken." He sang, as he flapped his arms.

"I don't want to be a duck." He continued, shaking his head.

"So I just go cluck, cluck, cluck." He finished, nodding his head up and down. He repeated the process a couple more times, as laughter erupted in the halls of the cafeteria, even the teacher joined in laughing. Everyone was laughing, all except for Gabriella, who was looking at him weirdly. All of a sudden, Troy abruptly stopped, and took the red glove off of his head, and threw it over to the floor. He began to sing the tea pot song.

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout." He started, crouching down and back up.

"Here is my handle." He sang, as he took his left arm, and bending it, placing it on his hip.

"Here is my spout." He extended his right arm out.

"When I get all steamed up, hear me shout." Troy continued, as he opened his mouth larger than it already was.

"Tip me over, and pour me out!" He shouted, as he leaned over to his right. He then jumped up, and off of the table, landing on the ground, evoking applause from everyone else.

"Thank you, thank you, I know you all love me." He stated cockily, as he bowed down. Hearing someone clear their voice, looked stood up straight, and looked up.

"Well, Mr. Bolton, seeing as how we all 'love' you," she began, imitating air quotes with her fingers at the word love. "As you so quaintly put it, let me be the first to express it." She said, as he handed him a piece of paper. "After school detention today."

He immediately, stood up straighter. "Sir, yes sir!" he exclaimed, saluting her. "I mean, Ma'am." He corrected himself, as he leaned forward, squinted his eyes, and looked at her. "Nah, sir is right." He told her, nodding his head up and down. Ms. Darbus glared at him angrily, before huffing off.

He boldly leaned down, and took a handful of a random kids' mashed potatoes, and threw it at the back of her head, shouting 'Food fight!'. He then ducked down, and ran out of the cafeteria. The moment Ms. Darbus felt food hit her, she turned around, ready to yell at the perpetrator, but by then, everyone was throwing food.

-------

"I told you to look out for him, Jacob! And now look! He has a whole month's detention!" Jack Bolton scolded Jacob, as he shrugged.

"I'm trying Dad. It's just… he's still mourning over Lucille's death. He's still blaming me for it." The younger Bolton explained.

"No, no, no." Jack stated, shaking his head. "This is not how I want to die. I don't want my only two sons to not get along like this!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Dad, but I don't know what else to do." Jacob apologized sadly, as his dad sighed.

"It's not your fault son. I just want Troy to have a better life, that's all." He began. "I regret the past. Of course I don't regret having you, _and_ him. But I do regret the way she passed away. I mean, I could've prevented that." He finished, guiltily.

"I know Dad. If I hadn't been born, I could've prevented it too." Jacob replied.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. So, how's the girlfriend?" Jack changed the subject, as a dreamy look took over Jacob's facial expression.

"I love her." He told his dad.

"Aww, my son is growing up!" His dad teased, playfully pinching his cheeks.

"Ha ha Dad. Not funny." He replied sarcastically, shaking his head. He felt a vibration in his pocket, and took out his phone. He had received a text message from Sharpay, telling him to hurry up.

"Oh, I gotta go! Sharpay's waiting. Talk to you later Dad." He said, as he walked out of the door, occupied in texting her back.

"Okay." His dad sighed when he saw the door shut. "Have fun, son."

-------

Gabriella sat in the car with Sharpay, Jacob, Kelsi and Taylor in silence. While all of her friends were talking animatedly to each other, she was staring out the window, thinking about the day that had just passed. Troy was in a majority of her classes. After the lunch fiasco, they had had Gym together. Every person chose their own activity, and went to the teacher that taught. The two had coincidentally chosen soccer together.

In training for a better focus on the ball, the soccer teacher, Ms. Jones, brought out a big rubber ball. She had everyone sat in a square, and started to pass the ball around. When it came to you, you would take your foot, and kick it back out in the square. During Gabriella's turn at kicking the ball, she had kicked it to Troy, unintentionally, nailing him in the head.

He yelled out in pain, and held his arm. He ran to get the ball, and eventually kicked it back into the square. He did a victory dance when the ball hit a girl's head. He stood up, and ran around the square, yelling like an ambulance's siren, and occasionally, lifting his shirt up half way, and rubbing his stomach.

When Ms. Jones came back and saw him, she immediately told him to stop and sit down. But he didn't listen. Instead, he went over to her, and poked her in the nose, telling her that she had a 'bat in the cave'. She gave him a week's detention, in which he gratefully accepted, as he patted her head.

After Gym was over, everyone got dressed, and went to their next class. As everyone walked, Troy skipped, flailing his arms up and down, yelling out, 'I'm skipping in a field of flowers!' or 'I'm flying like a birdie!' over and over again, making everyone direct their attention on him, and laughing.

In their sixth period class, she had heard people telling her that when the teacher turned around, and was writing on the board, he tapped on his desk rhythmically, while he sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He then got up, and stood on his desk, jumping up and down, acting like a monkey. He received another week's detention for it.

When the last period of the day came, everyone was aware of Troy's 'activeness'. They told her that the seventh period teacher had a nice face on, and gave them a free period. Everyone was surprised at the nice gesture, but goofed off anyway. Five minutes before class ended, the teacher told Troy to put his chair up, only to which he responded 'No way! I'm doing my nails. They need to dry! Hullo?!?' in a girly voice, pretending to inspect, and paint his-

"Gabi!" she heard someone yell. She turned her head around, and saw that the car had stopped in the parking lot of a bowling alley, and Jacob, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Taylor were all staring intently at her.

"What?" She questioned, shrugging, as they all shook their heads.

"She's been spacing out lately." Sharpay stated, as Jacob nodded.

"Yeah, right? Like today, during break." Kelsi reminded.

"And during sixth period." Taylor added in.

"And last too!" Jacob exclaimed, as the four of them all nodded their heads in agreement.

"It has been happening a lot." Sharpay said, "Wonder what or _who_ she's thinking about."

"Ugh, whatever." The brunette claimed, shaking her head. She opened the door, and walked out first.

**No cliffy again. ****Haha****. Just so you know; there should be only one more introduction chapter. ****So all of this boringness will be gone soon.**** Sorry for any mistakes!**

**-Ilyilyx3**


	5. Sharpay's Disscussions

**Why is Troy so weird? You'll never know. ****Haha****. I'm kidding.**** Don't worry. But, you'll find out why, when Gabriella asks him. (; Until th****en, you'll just have to wait.**** Here is the next chapter.****Sorry for the long wait! I've been tryi****ng to revise the plot a little.**** And I had serious writer's block. But I'm back now! (:**

**Oh, and the sixth period thing that they do in the story, actually happens at my school. I have no idea why, so don't ask me.**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 4- Sharpay's Discussions **

**Nobody's POV-**** (The Next Week**

"Just do it!" she screeched, attracting attention from all of the other students in the hallway. She scoffed, and gave off her best glare, which clearly showed that they should get back to what they were doing, or else. The students all quickly looked the other way, or in some cases, ran off. The blonde smirked, and turned her attention back towards the boy beside her.

"You, Jacob Brandon Bolton will do as I say, and talk to him!" She exclaimed, in frustration, as she pointed her finger at him. He sighed, and shook his head adamantly.

"No Shar." He replied stubbornly. She sighed in aggravation.

"Ughh, why not!? Come on, Jake. He's a guy, you're a guy, just talk to him about guy stuff! Or whatever you guys talk about." Sharpay reasoned, grabbing his shoulders and giving them a shake. She gave him her best pout, as he bit the inside of his bottom lip. He opened his mouth, before closing it again.

"Pay, have you ever noticed what his last name is?" he questioned carefully, as she looked at him weirdly.

"…Something with a B." The blonde answered. "Wait, don't tell me… Blackwell? Bolin?" She guessed, as her eyebrows rose in realization. "Bolton!" He nodded his head.

"Exactly." He stated, making her look at him weirdly. She raised her eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with anything? There are a lot of people with the last name Bol-" She cut herself off, as she figured out what he was talking about.

"He's your brother isn't he?" He nodded.

"Wait, but why wouldn't you want your brother to be with Gab? She's a great person." She gasped, and glared at him. "Don't you dare tell me that Gabs isn't good enough for him." She hissed at him, her mood changing. He shook his head quickly.

"No, no, no. It's not that." He exclaimed, motioning his hands in a no fashion. He took in a deep breath as she thought of what to say.

"It's just… it's complicated." He explained as he bit his lip. "Just trust me on the fact that we should keep them away from each other."

"Why though Jake?" Sharpay questioned, as she looked up at him.

He shook his head yet again. "Just trust me Shar. Please." He pleaded, obviously not wanting to explain himself. She sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But how are we going to keep them apart? She told me she had four classes, and lunch with him." Jacob pursed his lips for a second, before an idea came to him.

"Can't you get her to switch electives? Tell her to switch to Drama, fifth period. It'll alter her schedule drastically." He responded eagerly, as she shrugged.

"I guess I could." She paused. "Jake?"

He looked over to her. "Yeah?"

"You will tell me why one of these days, right?" She questioned. Jacob smiled softly.

"I promise. Just not now okay Pay? It's kind of private." He explained, as she nodded and hugged him.

"When the time comes." He told her quietly. "When the time comes."

-------

"You're Troy, right?" She asked, as she ran towards him and caught up to him.

"Quack!" He replied, making duck noises and flapping his arms. Sharpay raised her eyebrow.

"I asked you a question. Answer please." She replied in frustration. He smirked.

"Meow meow!"

She took in a deep breath trying to calm herself. "…okay. So Troy-"

"Arf!" He made dog sounds, sticking out his tongue, and cutting her off.

"Troy-"

"Tsk, tsk , tsk, tsk, tsk." He replied, trying to sound like a mouse.

"Stop. I'm your brother's girlfriend. Cut me some slack!"

"Moo! Baa. Eek eek." He continued to make animal noises.

She clenched her fists. "Come on! Stop being so immature!" She yelled, as he shrugged.

"Sa-weee!" Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Just listen-"

"Hee haw."

"Tr-"

"Swishhh." He progressed his noises, as he made a motion of throwing a basketball. She let out a frustrated grunter.

"You know what forget. I'd rather be out shopping right now. Later." She told him, starting to walk away, as he smirked happily.

"See ya, _Sharpay_." He replied, actually talking.

She scoffed, and turned her head around. "You're impossible!" She responded, shaking her head as she turned around, and continued to walk down the rest of the hall.

"He freaking needs to go to h-" She mumbled to herself, as she saw Gabriella coming towards her. Her mood changed abruptly. "H-hi, Gabi." Gabriella waved happily in response.

"Hey Shar." The brunette greeted. "What were you mumbling about?" Sharpay shook her head.

"Nothing, nothing. Just talking to myself. You know me." The blonde claimed, slightly nervous. Gabriella gave her a disbelieving look, before shrugging it off.

"Okay… But great news Shar." She exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Sharpay's ears perked up almost immediately. "Really? What is it?"

"I'm taking Drama with you!" Gabriella squealed.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yup. And I still get to take Art." She replied, proudly. Sharpay raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you manage that?"

"Zero period. I have to wake up even earlier, but it's fine." Gabriella responded, waving her hand to show that it wasn't a big deal. Sharpay squealed along with her.

"That's awesome! Does your schedule change at all?" The blonde questioned, as Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah. All of my classes changed. I think except for… Art. Same period for that." She replied.

Sharpay began jumping up and down clapping her hands. "Fabulous Gab!" She exclaimed, looking over at Gabriella, only to see her staring at something. She followed her stare, and saw that she was staring at Troy as he walked down the hall and made eye contact with her.

"Gabs?" She called out, but got no response. Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Gabs… Gabriella?" She groaned, hitting herself on her forehead.

"Ughh, here we go again with the spacing out." She waited until Troy was out of sight, before lightly pushing Gabriella's arm. The brunette's head automatically shot to face her.

"Huh? What?" She questioned, as Sharpay grinned at her.

"What was that?" She asked knowingly, making Gabriella blush.

"What was what?" She stated, acting dumb and shrugging.

The blonde scoffed. "You were totally making eye contact with Troy just now!" Gabriella shook her head feverishly.

"No I wasn't." Sharpay nodded.

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!" Gabriella argued.

"Gab…"

"Shar…." The brunette mocked, sticking her tongue out at Sharpay.

The blonde sighed in defeat. "You suck hardcore Gabs."

"Thank you." She replied, pretending to bow, as the two girls laughed and started to walk to their other friends who were waiting for them, near the library. Gabriella, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Taylor would meet their everyday during sixth period, since they would automatically cross paths during that time. Besides, during sixth period, they had ten minutes to get to their next class, instead of the usual five. So why not meet up for a minute or two?

"Hey Gabby, hey Shar." Kelsi and Taylor greeted.

"Hi Guys." Both the blonde and brunette replied, as a group of cheerleaders were walking past them.

Gabriella caught sight of them, and excused herself from her friends, as she walked up to the cheerleaders. Each of them greeted her with hospitality, or a wave of their hand.

"What's up, Gabs?" Pailene asked, as Gabriella pursed her lips for a second. She didn't know if she should ask them the question she'd been dying to ask of not. She took the plunge, and asked them anyway.

"What do you guys know about Troy?" She asked carefully, as the cheerleaders shot each other glances before answering.

"Mental." They agreed, making her look at them curiously.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side a little.

"Didn't you hear? He's mental. I mean look at the way he dresses." One of them explained.

"His hair." Another replied.

"His attitude." The list went on, until each of the cheerleaders had added their own opinion. Gabriella nodded at each of them, taking in the information.

"He doesn't have any siblings." The last one replied, as Gabriella shook her head, smirking slightly.

"You're wrong. He does have a sibling." She stated proudly.

"Really, who?" All of them perked their ears to hear her answer.

" Jacob." They gasped in shock.

"Seriously?" She nodded and thanked them for their time before walking back to her own friends, leaving the others in a daze.

"What was that all about? You usually never talk to the cheerleaders unless you want gossip." Taylor accused, as Gabriella laughed slightly at her friends' baffled expressions.

"And that's what I got." She replied, before walking back to her original route, leaving her friends in shock.

She walked into her sixth period class that was going to be changed in two days, and sat down in her desk. She looked down and stared at the desk's wood designs as she started to think. She had planned it all out in her head. She was going to actually talk to Troy tomorrow. If she messed it up or embarrassed herself, she would be safe since her schedule would be changing, and she would only have to see him twice a day, instead of five.

After multiple minutes of thinking, Gabriella was knocked out of her thoughts by the warning bell. She looked up from the desk she was focusing on, and saw Sharpay walking up to her, shaking her head slightly.

"Wanna tell me what's up?" She questioned, as she sat down beside her. Gabriella shrugged.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied smugly, making the blonde roll her eyes.

"Gabby, I've known you since we were in diapers." She paused, putting her hand on Gabriella's shoulder. "Don't you think I'd know you better than that?" The brunette stayed silent, as Sharpay continued.

"Come on. This past week, has been all the same. You've been spacing out, and staring at Troy. You just switched classes, destroying your 'perfectly planned schedule' and now, you talked to your 'number one enemies'." She rambled on, as she gasped in realization.

"Did you ask them about Troy?" Gabriella nodded slowly.

"Yes." Sharpay pursed her lips up.

"Have you talked to him, yourself?" She questioned, having a plan form in her head.

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I haven't gotten the chance. But I'm making sure I do tomorrow." She explained, as Sharpay gave her a knowing look.

"Oh really." The blonde paused, as she smirked. "What's your plan? Do you need any help?" Gabriella giggled slightly.

"No thanks. I can handle it." She replied, happily.

**Next chapter: Gabriella and Troy talk! (: Anyone else excited?**

**Again, sorry for the long wait**** and the shortness of this chapter****. Don't you just hate writer's block? Haha. Good news, is the intro chapters are over. Some good Troyella interactions are coming up. (: I should be able to update again, by or before Friday? It depends on how much more homework my teachers give me. Hah, review please. I want to see if you guys are still reading this or not.**

**-Ilyilyx3**

**P.S. Sorry for any mistakes! **


	6. A Chance To Talk

**An overdue update.**** I know. But I do have my reasons for it. I'm just not going to say. So… read! (:**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 5-**** A Chance ****To**** Talk**

**Nobody's POV-**** (The Next Day)**

Sharpay Evans walked inside the classroom confidently, as usual. She looked around for her best friend, and finally found her. Gabriella sitting at her seat, and playing around on her cell phone. She walked over to her, and sat at the empty seat beside her.

"Hey Gab," Sharpay greeted. Gabriella stopped her tinkering with her phone, and looked up, as she smiled at the sight of Sharpay.

"Chello, Shar." She replied, in an accent. The two giggled at their own inside joke.

"Are you stilling going through with talking to," Sharpay paused, and pursed her lips up, as she thought of the codename for him. "TMG today?" Gabriella shook her head, laughing.

"Shar, even if you say that, people will figure it out." She told her, looking back down to her phone, as the blonde laughed along.

"I know, I know, but still. The dumb people won't." She expressed, nodding her head. "So, are you?" She asked curiously.

"To answer your question, yes I am." She answered, looking up, and eyeing her best friend.

Sharpay bit her lip. "Are you sure about that?" She asked, making Gabriella raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?" The blonde sighed, trying to think of an excuse.

"You do know that he's Jacob's brother right?" She paused.

"Yeah…" The brunette looked at her blankly. "What's your point, Shar?"

"Wouldn't it be totally awkward that we're dating both the Bolton brothers?" Gabriella shrugged.

"Not really. Besides, I'm only going to talk to him." Sharpay bit her lip, racking her brain for an rebuttal.

"But what if you two hit it off, marry, and I marry Jacob?" She started. "I don't want to be in-laws with you! I want to be true sisters." She reasoned nudging her, as Gabriella giggled slightly.

"You do know that I'm only going to talk to him, right? It's not marriage or anything big." The blonde shook her head.

"But what if-" Gabriella cut her off with a sigh.

"Pay, where is this coming from?" She asked suspiciously. "Yesterday, you want me to talk to him. You were practically offering to help!" She exclaimed, as she stared at her in confusion. "But now you're resenting it? What's going on?" She finished. Sharpay shrugged sheepishly.

"Nothing. But are you sure, you still want to talk to him?" The brunette nodded reassuringly.

"Of course…" she trailed off. "Unless you give me a reason not to." She stated, looking at Sharpay for an answer, making Sharpay shake her head feverishly.

"I have none! I'm just… wondering."

"Sharpay…" Gabriella started, but was interrupted by the tardy bell.

"Oh! There's the bell. Gotta go, only have five minutes to get to class. Later Gabs!" She called out, and she walked away from her, and out of the room. Gabriella sighed again, and stared after Sharpay's retreating figure, as she sat there in confusion.

--

Sharpay stood inside of the girls' bathroom, sighing to herself. It's not that she wanted Gabriella to be confused. Truth was, she was just as confused herself. She looked in the mirror, and stared at her reflection. She didn't know what she was going to do if Gabriella does go talk to Troy. She sighed as she thought about last night's events.

_Flashback-_

"Hmm, lock them in a room?" She questioned to herself, as she wrote in her notebook. After a moment of thinking about it, she shook her head. "Too middle school."

"Spin the bottle?" she reasoned, tilting her head, before shaking it once again. "Argh! That's too elementary." Sharpay racked her brain for any other plans that she hadn't thought about or used yet. She didn't find one. Realizing so, she slumped down in her chair, sighing in frustration.

"It's official. I don't have a back up for Gab's plan." She exclaimed, running a hand through her blonde locks. She soon felt a hand tap her shoulder, as she saw staring at the notebook in front of her. She looked up to the person that now stood beside her, before looking back down.

"What are you doing?" Jacob questioned, taking a seat beside her, on her bed.

Sharpay shook her head. "Trying to come up with a back up plan." He arched his eyebrow.

"What's the plan to begin with?" He asked curiously, as Sharpay started to write in her book again.

"To hook up your brother and Gabi." She answered immediately, as Jacob stiffened.

"What?" Sharpay looked up to see his slightly angry eyes.

"Damn." She muttered under her breath. Jacob shook his head.

"Pay! I told you not to." He reminded her. She sighed.

"But you never told me why." Sharpay reasoned softly.

"Pay-" She shook her head, and stood up from her chair. She laid down beside his sitting form, staring that the ceiling.

"I just wanted to give Gabriella some happiness. She hasn't liked anyone since the 8th grade." She reasoned, slightly shrugging.

"Shar-" The blonde cut him off once again.

"And I just wanted to hook them up, and give them what they wanted." Jacob sighed in frustration, as she continued to ramble on.

"I don't love you anymore!" He suddenly exclaimed, while she was in mid-sentence, making her completely stop in her tracks. She sat up suddenly, with visible anger in her eyes.

"What?!" Sharpay yelled furiously. Jacob shook his head and chuckled nervously.

"Kidding, kidding. I love you a lot, okay? I just wanted to get you out of your rambling." She sighed in relief, collapsing back onto her bed.

"You suck!" He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Shar." He replied as he laid beside her. "Now back to the Troy and Gabi thing."

"What about it?" She responded, slightly annoyed at her boyfriend.

"We can't let them get together." She turned her head towards him.

"Why?" He shrugged, thinking of an answer.

"I-I'm afraid he's going to hurt her." He lied through his teeth, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Was he a player or something?" Sharpay pondered, as he shook his head.

"N-no." he stuttered. "H-he just doesn't have a lot of experience with dating. He might not know that he did something… wrong." He bit the inside of his lip. She lifted her hand and moved a stray lock of hair from his face.

"So? We can always fix it."

"But what about her image?" He replied. Sharpay smirked.

"You know she doesn't care about that."

"Umm, he's mean?" He suggested, in an unconvincing tone.

"Jacob…" She said in a warning voice. "You better tell the truth, now." He sighed in defeat.

"Okay. Umm, how do I word this correctly, Troy and I have this history-" He cut himself off. "No. Err, we've had this bad relationship since the start." He started, as he looked into her eyes. "I'm afraid that he's going to hurt her purposely if he knows she's best friends with my girlfriend, and friends with me." He replied, half lying, and half telling the truth. She nodded understandingly.

"Oh. What happened that made things between you two go sour?" She queried curiously. Jacob shook his head.

"Just a small problem." She looked at him unbelievingly.

"A small problem that he's kept a grudge on for what, 17 years?" Sharpay questioned, looking at him expectantly. He rolled his eyes.

"A slightly big problem, but its family business, Pay." He started. "Can we just leave that alone for a while? I really don't want to talk about it, unless it's necessary. But since now you partly know why, will you keep them away from each other?" He questioned, as she refused to meet his hazel eyes.

"Please, Shar?" He begged, catching her glance. "Do it for me. Help me keep them away from each other?" Sharpay shook her head.

"It's for her benefit." He stated, trying to convince her. "You could always get her blind dates, and beat them up afterward if they hurt her." He suggested. Sharpay looked a bit reluctant, but soon gave in.

"Okay, I'll help you keep her away from him."

_E__nd Flashback._

"At least I hope I can." She said out loud, as she turned on the faucet, and splashed water on her face. She dabbed it dry, and she took another look in the mirror. She fixed a couple of her loose hairs, and turned away from the mirror, retrieved her stuff, and headed towards the door. She sighed.

"No telling what fate's going to do to them, though." She muttered, walking out of the bathroom.

--

"Gabriella, don't do it." Jacob called after her, as he pulled her back. She sighed in frustration.

"Why?"

"He's going to get you in trouble." Sharpay blurted out, remembering Jacob's words. The brunette looked up at the two in question.

"How?"

"Well-"

"I just want to talk to him." She reasoned, throwing her arms out. She was completely frustrated at her friends. They had been nagging her not to go, for the last ten minutes.

"No Gabi, he's my brother. He's only trouble." Jacob told her, as Sharpay nodded in agreement.

"Yeah Gabs, listen to Jake." Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"How would he be trouble?" she questioned. "Give me a good reason, and I'll stay away from him." The two blondes looked at each other.

"Breaking girls' hearts is his hobby." Jacob replied, as the two girls looked at him, unbelievingly.

"What?" Sharpay rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. He then realized how stupid it had sounded.

"Oh! I mean-" Gabriella interrupted him, as she thought of an idea to get her friends off of her back.

"Okay, okay. If you guys are getting so worked up about, I'll save you the trouble. I won't talk to him." She lied, as Jacob sighed in relief.

"Pheww, that's good news." Sharpay stated happily. Jacob took a step closer to Gabriella.

"Promise?" He asked, as he looked at her expectantly. She and Sharpay rolled their eyes.

"Sure." She replied, as she crossed her fingers under the desk. Jacob nodded, fully believing her.

"Now, what shall we do this fine, free period, milady, and mi other lady?" he questioned, in a weird accent. The two girls giggled.

"How about you two go enjoy some alone time, and I'll go to the library?" Gabriella suggested, as she spotted Troy walking towards the direction of the library. Sharpay looked at her in suspicion, seeing her friend stare out of the door.

"Why would you want to do that?" The brunette shook her head.

"I didn't finish my persuasive essay for Mr. Cole's class. I need to complete it today." She answered, as Sharpay nodded.

"When do you have him?" Jacob asked curiously.

"Seventh." Sharpay laughed.

"You're one lucky girl then." Gabriella giggled slightly.

"I call it skill." She replied proudly.

"Sureee." Jacob stated, as he nodded jokingly. "Remember, stay away from him, okay?" Gabriella responded with a 'yes' and Sharpay tugged on his arm impaitently.

"Jake! She already promised! Now let's go!" He laughed, before kissing Sharpay's cheek.

"Sorry, Pay. Later Gab." He called out, as he walked out with his girlfriend.

"Bye Gabi!" Sharpay exclaimed, before disappearing with Jacob.

--

Gabriella walked out into the hallway, and pretended to walk towards the library. She wanted to throw them off, just in case they were watching her. Since she didn't see Sharpay or Jacob looking her way, she decided to take a detour. She looked around, trying to locate where Troy went, when she saw him talking to some girl. More like quacking, but still. The girl ran away fearfully, as he smirked, and called out 'later' to her. Gabriella stared at him in question, before walking up to him. He was about to walk away, when she tapped his shoulder. He turned around.

"Hey, umm Troy?" He nodded, as he looked her her.

"How do you know my name, Gabriella?" He questioned, as she looked into his deep azure blue eyes.

"I- umm. I just do. Wait, how do you know my name?" she asked, as he looked around, and saw everyone staring at them, surprised that he had actually said something instead of making any of his weird noises. He shrugged as he closed his eyes, and reopened them.

"Have you ever skipped class before?" he asked in a hushed whisper. She shook her head, as she looked at him in confusion. She had no idea why he was now whispering. "Good, you can start now." He stated, in a slightly louder voice.

"What-" She questioned, as she was cut off by him grabbing her hand, and pulling her along with him.

"Whoa, Troy!" She exclaimed, as they stopped, right outside of the school yard.

"What?" he shrugged. "You say you wanted to talk. And I can't talk to you in public. It's too risky." He replied, and groaned, when he saw more people watching them, from the windows, and from their seats on the fountain.

"For- Wait, why-" He interrupted her as he shushed her.

"Gabriella, could you speak a little quieter? I don't want anyone to hear us." He replied in a quiet tone. She shrugged sheepishly.

"Sorry."

--

"So, this is your secret hideout?" Gabriella asked, as she motioned, and looked around the nearly empty park. He shook his head.

"Nah, not really. Just a park my mom and I used to go to." He replied, as he felt her stare on him. He looked towards her.

"What?" She shrugged.

"Nothing." She trailed off. "It's just, have I seen you before?" Gabriella questioned, making him smirk.

"Yeah, at school. You know, the place we've been making eye contact at for the past week and a half?" She giggled slightly, and smiled at him.

"Yeah, I know that. But have I met you somewhere else?" He shrugged.

"No. Not unless you count the diner encounter." Troy replied, making Gabriella's eyes and mouth widen.

"I knew it! I knew that was you!" She exclaimed, excitedly. She looked at him up and down. "Wait. But why- this?" She questioned, motioning to his clothes. He shrugged once again. Gabriella looked up at him expectantly.

"You should know." She told him, as he chuckled.

"I do." He stated.

"And?" Troy shook his head, and tried to change the subject.

"So, you said you wanted to talk. What about?" He questioned, as he took a seat on a bench. Gabriella sat beside him, slightly confused at why he avoided her question. She shook her head, and shrugged, letting it go for now.

"I don't really know what I want to talk about. All I wanted to do was get to know you." He raised his eyebrow.

"Really…"

"Yeah." She responded, as he chuckled fakely.

"Sure, I talk to you about myself, and the next day I see a picture of me on the front page of our school paper." Gabriella frowned and shook her head.

"I'm not talking to you for someone else's benefit." She told him. "I'm talking to you for my own."

"How does it benefit you?" He queried, making Gabriella shrug.

"It gives me a chance to get to know the mysterious guy named, Troy Bolton." He laughed.

"I'm not mysterious." He replied, as she nodded.

"Yes you are."

"Why? There's not much to know. I'm Troy, and my last name is Bolton. What else would you possibly want to know?" He stated.

"A lot. Like your favorite color, animal, movie, music genre, soap brand…" She trailed off. "Just facts about you." He sighed, as he tilted his head and bit his lip in concentration.

"Yellow. White Tiger. Scarface. Rock. And as for a soap brand, no clue." He answered in order, as she giggled.

"Are you sure you're not secretly in love with a soap brand? I know you're just not telling since you're afraid I'm going to buy all of it." She replied, joking. He laughed along with her.

"You caught me. I am secretly in love with the Dove soap brand." He replied sarcastically, as the two laughed a little harder. "But yeah, I'm pretty sure that I don't have one."

"Good, I was hoping you weren't some soap freak." She responded, smiling. He shot her a smile back.

After that, the two fell into an almost comfortable silence. There was only a small tension between them, since they hadn't talked to each other before. The two looked separate ways, sometimes looking at each other. Neither one caught the other's glance, which was a good thing since neither knew what to say next.

Gabriella sat, wondering if she should ask what had been on her mind all the time. The one thing that had been nagging her. She wanted to ask it again, but she didn't want him to avoid answering it like he did before. She took in a deep breathe before breaking the silence.

"Hey Troy?" He turned his head towards her, and made eye contact.

"Yeah?" Gabriella bit her lip, and was about to ask the question that she desperately wanted answered. But instead, she cleverly rephrased it.

"Why do they call you the mental guy?"

**Some ****Troyella**** bonding.**** There will be more in the ****next,**** and later chapters. No worries. (:**

**Sorry about the wait. I've had this on my laptop for a while, but I never got to go through and edit it until today. Hah, even though I've ****just ****edited it, it**** might ****be ****slightly bad. Probably because I'm really tired. So sorry for any mistakes that I didn't catch.**

**And I**** know you're ****still ****waiting on ****Who'****s**** That Girl****, and I'm really appreciative of your patience. Just to let you know, I'm still working on it. ****Good news? ****I'm about halfway done. It should be up on Friday. Maybe later, but it will be during the weekend. I'm getting extra time on it since I don'****t have school, Friday.**

**Review, you know you're just dying to. (;**

**-Ilyilyx3**


	7. Questions And The Bet

**The writer's block was surprising easy to get over this time. (: ****Haha****. Whatever information about the N****ew ****M****exico State F****air, or the Balloon Fiesta****, I've put in here,**** might or might not be true. I researched it a bit. The internet might've told the truth, but who knows. You can never trust this stuff. ****d:**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 6- Questions And The Bet  
**

**Nobody's POV-**

"Why do they call you The Mental Guy?" He sighed, as he answered her.

"They think I'm mental." Troy replied smugly. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Troy…" She warned, tired of his cold shoulder towards this subject.

He shrugged. "What? It's true. Ask anyone you want."

Gabriella sighed herself. "Fine…" She dropped her shoulders in frustration. Suddenly, her eyes perked up. "Why do you act like you're mental?"

He mockingly cocked his head to the side, looking at her strangely. "I don't know."

"Come on, can't you tell me?" She questioned, placing her hand on his arm.

He shrugged it off, not paying attention to her slightly hurt face. "I don't trust easily, Gabriella." He explained. "It takes a lot for me to actually trust someone." She nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Okay. I get it." She told him, rocking her legs, over the bench they were currently occupying. "But can I still ask you questions?" She asked, as she looked up for his answer. She saw him nodding his head slightly.

"As long as I can ask you too." She smiled.

"Deal." She looked over to the basketball court, as she turned her head to look at him again. "So, what's your favorite sport? Are you a basketball fanatic, football obsessed…" She trailed off, waiting for his answer.

"I like cycling." The brunette looked at him slightly surprised. It wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"Wow, really? How come?" She asked, as he bit his lip, thinking of an answer.

"It teaches you endurance." He started. "Like to never give up." He smirked. "Plus, it's pretty fun to chase after cars, hit them, and sue them for hitting you." He joked, making her giggle in response.

"I should write that down, you know, just in case I need some extra pocket money." She jeered. He laughed along with her.

"What's your favorite sport?" He directed at her.

"Swimming." She answered simply.

He mockingly cocked an eyebrow up. "And why is that?"

"I don't know. It's just… I've always been attracted to the water." She replied, as a sparkle lit up in her eyes. "I have no clue why. The water's just really relaxing, and blue." She continued, with a slight happiness in her voice. "Besides, it's fun to pretend to drown and have everyone worry." She joked, copying his tone of voice from before. He gasped with fake surprise.

"Are you mocking me?"

She pointed to herself. "Me? Naw." She laughed, shaking her head.

"You're a silly girl Gabriella." He stated, smiling at her, as a brief silence filled the air.

"What are your hobbies?" She asked, wanting to rid of any future silences that were bound to come.

"Drawing, painting, basically anything that's art."

She nodded in response. "Because?"

"My mom. She loved it. I only took it to make her happy, but eventually, I found a love of it for myself." He told her, as she awed.

"That's so sweet of you. Is your mom one of those people who say it's good, when it's bad?"

He laughed. "Pretty much. But you could always tell if she's lying or not."

"My mom too!" She exclaimed. "It gets so annoying." She stated. "But moms, right? You can't live with them, you can't live without them." She sighed, looking towards the ground again.

"I'm living without mine." He mumbled under his breath.

She looked up at him in surprise, clearly having heard him. "What?" He chuckled nervously, as shrugged.

"Nothing. Nothing. Just being mental again." He answered, making her give him an annoyed look. She decided to let his last comment slide for now.

"Don't say that. You're not mental, Troy." She told him, smiling.

He laughed, as he shook his head. "How would you know? You've only been talking to me for half a day." She shrugged.

"That's more than enough to get to know you." He grinned at her.

"You're a sweet girl, Gabriella. I've underestimated you." He stated. She shot him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked in bewilderment.

"There have been a lot of rumors going around about you." He explained. "Don't you notice?"

She nodded. "Well yeah. But I don't pay attention to them."

"Smart."

"Yeah, but what did you think of me?" She asked, curious to what he would say.

"I don't really know." He replied. "Just a typical popular girl I guess."

Her mouth and eyes widened in surprise. "You thought I was one of those bimbos?" He shook his head.

"Not really. Just a popular person." He told her. "You know, with the snobbyness, and…" He trailed off, realizing that he did think of her as a slut. "Yeah, what you just said. A bimbo or whatever?"

She gasped, in shock. She wasn't one of those bimbos, at least not in her mind. "But I'm not, right?" She asked, as he nodded reassuringly.

"You're not. Don't worry about it. It was only an assumption I made." She stood up, and threw her hands out in exasperation.

"You thought I was though!" He laughed at her distressed face.

"Chill. Stop freaking out about what I think, Gabriella." He told her, as he stood beside her, hold her arms down to her sides.

She cringed at the used of her full name. "I will, if you do me a favor." She replied, making him raise his eyebrow.

"What's that?"

"Stop calling me Gabriella." She told him, shivering to prove her point. "I hate the full name thing. It's so weird." He looked at her in confusion.

"Why, it is your name after all." He replied, slightly chuckling.

The brunette gave him a sheepish look. "I know. It's just… when I was younger, everyone called me by nicknames. Whether it was Gabi, Gab, Gabs, the occasional Gabster." She shrugged. "Gabrie, Gabriel, Ella, Ell, Ellie, Brie, or Briella. You get the point, right?" He nodded. "I'm just used to it, I guess. It feels really weird when someone calls me Gabriella. It's like, it isn't even my name. It's so foreign to me." She explained, letting out a sigh.

"Deep words."

She shook her head. "Ehh, not really. It's just… how I feel." He smiled.

"Could I continue you call you Gabriella?" He asked, as she shrugged.

"Why? I hate my full name." She replied.

He laughed slightly at her facial expression. "Why should you hate it? In my point of view, it's so much better than one of those clichéd nicknames, everybody has." He explained, making her nod and purse her lips.

"If you want to." She sighed. "But don't blame me if I don't answer to it."

"What about the teachers?"

"What do you mean?" She questioned, in befuddlement.

"Like on the roll call." He stated. "Or on the roster. Wouldn't it be Gabriella Montez, instead of whatever nicknames you have?"

She giggled. "Troy, Albuquerque's a slightly small city. It's not that big. Everyone knows each other." She replied. "I bet you that if tomorrow at school, you call me Gabriella, and I actually respond, everyone would be having a heart attack." He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure about that?" She nodded.

"Positive." He clapped his hands together.

"Then it's a bet."

"What?"

"Tomorrow, when we come back from our hooky day, I'll call you Gabriella." He explained, smirking. "Let's see if everyone will actually have a heart attack."

She laughed and nodded in agreement. "Okay. Let's do it then. If I win, you have to tell me the real story behind your supposed mentalness."

"And if I win, you have to stop asking me about that." He told her smugly, as she nodded again.

"Deal."

"So, Gabriella," He winked at her. "Do you want to go to the New Mexico State Fair? They're still in town for another 11 days." She smiled.

"I'd love to. But how'd you know about it?" She asked, slightly perplexed.

He smirked at her. "Another reason for you to try to win the bet." She pouted, as he chuckled at her childish antic.

"You suck."

"Aww, thank you. So, would you like to walk, or take the train?" He questioned curiously. She pretended to think about it, before answering him.

"Let's walk." He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, your choice. But don't complain to me when your feet start hurting." He teased, poking his tongue out at her. "I am so not carrying you."

She mock gasped. "Who said I would want you to carry me?" She asked, giggling. He rolled his eyes and laughed with her.

"Oh, you know you do." He stated cockily. She laughed, and slapped his arm.

"Ehh, not really." She replied boredly. He mocked her pout from earlier, before smiling at her, and looking down at his watch.

"Come on, we better get going if we want to get on any rides." He told her, grabbing her hand, and pulling her with him. She looked up at him weirdly.

"Why?"

"It's almost 2, and the rides close down at 6 on Tuesdays." He explained, as she ohh-ed at him.

"Wait, how do you know so much again?" She asked. He gave her an expectant look.

She nodded. "Right, when I win the bet." She recited, rolling her eyes. He smirked at her.

"_If_ you win that is." He said, smugly.

"Oh, I will."

-------

Troy groaned, clutching his stomach, as he threw up into the trash can for the sixth time that night. Gabriella laughed, and shook her head, as she continued to pat his back. She took another sip from her Dr. Pepper, as she looked over at the stage. Seeing that it was almost time for them to start, she turned her head back to Troy. She laughed, at his crouched over figure, cringing slightly at his barfing noises. She stopped patting his back, and began to rub it instead.

"Are you done, in there Pukey?" She asked, giggling.

His head shot up at her, as he glared at her briefly. "Hey it's not fair. I was-" He cut himself off, feeling another rush of cursed pastry coming up from his throat again.

"Hold that thought for me!" He exclaimed, before his head was nearly inside the trash can, letting it all out.

Troy lifted his head up, after he was sure, that there wasn't anything else to upchuck. He wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand, before looking at the silently laughing, Gabriella. "Where was I?" She pursed her lips.

"Hmm, I think you were saying something about being fine until something?" She tried, before shrugging. "I don't know. I was too busy laughing at you." He glared at her, as he remembered what he was going to say.

"I was okay until you made me down that disgusting funnel cake." He stated, with a grimace. Gabriella shook her head.

"Don't you be dissing my fic." She joked, her face a dark shade a red, from all of the laughing she had done.

"Fic?"

She rolled her eyes. "F.C. Funnel cake." He nodded, showing he understood, before groaning and leaning down into the trash can again. He abruptly stood up again, grinning madly.

"Wooh. Okay. False alarm. I'm all better now." He told her, as she looked at his pale face in worry.

"Are you sure Pukey? The first time I ate a fic, I puked the whole night, and I really don't want you to puke all over me when we go see the show." She replied, patting his back.

He smiled in appreciation to her worry. "It's fine, it's fine. I've eaten it before." He replied, waiting for her to ask how. But it never came.

"Hey, you didn't ask that time." She shrugged, poking her tongue out at him.

"I've learned. I could always ask you tomorrow." She answered.

"True." She laughed, and shook her head. She looked over at the stage again, to see the announcer, getting ready to speak. She grabbed his arm, and began to drag him with her.

She smiled at him. "Come on. Let's go Pukey." He groaned. This time, not because of his upset stomach.

"Would you drop that already? I knew I shouldn't have told you that story." The brunette giggled as the two made their way through the crowd.

"I'm sorry Pukey, but it _i__s_ a funny story. I'm really glad you shared it." She replied, ducking down to avoid the tree branch. She felt Troy do the same thing behind her.

"I'm not." He whined, as she abruptly stopped walking. He looked to see what now held her attention, and saw her looking at a poster.

"There's a talent showcase this year!" She exclaimed in excitement, as she read aloud the content of the poster.

_"New Mexico's Fifth Triennia__l Talent Showcase._

_The N__ew __M__exico__ Talent Showcase will be a fun night that takes place at the __U__niversity of __N__ew __M__exico (UNM)__ during the __Balloon Fiesta__ (October 6__th__-13__th__.) On selected nights, participants will come up to the stage, and showcase their t__alent. __Come and join us for an awesome night filled with fun, food, and tons of talent. Come on various nights, and enjoy various activities and performances. Each night during the Balloon Fiesta will be a different mix of talents. No two nights will be the same._

_**Rules and Expectations:**_

_Any newcomers without a__ history from the past __showcases must send i__n a copy of __blueprints for t__heir plans on what th__ey're doing. __Any veterans of the Triennial Talent Showcase, that would like to participate in the 2007 Showcase, must send in their badge from previous years, as proof for a guaranteed slot._

_All winning and active participants must sign up for a time slot on their desired day, and be able to present their talent for three rehearsals before the selected date.__ Failure__ to attend any or even one of the three rehearsals, __without notifying the officials and advisors a day ahead of time, will result in __be__ing__ disqualified__ from the Showcase.__ No exceptions allowed._

_**All entries**__** and badges**__** must be turned in before September 17**__**th**__**. Winning proposals**__** will be notified between**__** Septe**__**mber 24**__**th**__** and September 3****0**__**t****h.**_

___For the official rules, __requirements, __further instructions, __or schedules, __please go to Albuquerque City Hall, and pick up a brochure.__ Or visit us at our website, where you may send in questions, concerns, or comments.__"_

"That sounds fun." She exclaimed, after finishing reading.

Troy snorted. "No it doesn't. It's only a gathering of snobby people who want to show off." He replied bitterly. Gabriella looked up and saw that Troy's expression had change from a mildly happy to a bitterly mad. She gave him a confused look.

"Pukey, what's wrong?" He shrugged if off.

"Everyone has their own opinion." He replied, walking away from her. Hurt shone in her brown eyes, as she ran to catch up with him. She grabbed onto his arm, turning him around to face her.

"Yeah, but your opinion is wr-" He cut her off by turning around again. She opened her mouth, but closed it when he started shushing her.

"Shh, the show's starting." She sighed and nodded. She stood closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him, and studied his charming features, trying to figure out what was wrong. When she noticed that he was about to look down, she looked towards the stage instead, hoping that he didn't notice.

He did. But he just chose not to say anything.

Instead, he leaned down and kissed the side of her head, whispering in her ear.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready. Or when you win the bet."

She grinned inwardly, realizing that he didn't say if this time.

**No cliffy.**

**I think that ****was a pretty fluffy chapter. ****It's kind of short, and ****a filler****, but do r****emember the small details**** I added****, they'll come into play soon. The next update should be soon. I'm so in the mood to write for this story. (: **

**Review and join the crew. ****(Haha.**** Jacquie! Found my gangster farewell.)**

**-Ilyilyx3**


	8. The Fair And Err Pink?

**Haha. I'm not going to say the 's' word. (Cough, Mandy, cough) I'm just going to say apologies for taking a while with this. It was originally supposed to be up about, a week ago. But, my life has been super hectic. I hadn't found the time to post, until now. Ehh, better late than never right? At least I made the chapter longer than it was supposed to be. :D It's the longest chapter I've written from _TMG_ so far. Totaling in at 4900 and more words, without the author's notes. That's more than two chapters combined! (:**

**One more thing before the chapter starts. I'm changing the genre from Romance/Drama, to Humor/Drama. Humor's way more fun to write. Hah. Partly because lately, whatever I've been writing is coming out to be funny. (8**

**This chapter is dedicated to-**_** mysupermanwillcome**_**. She gave me ideas, and helped me get over my slight writer's block on this chapter. Thanks again, Bunny!**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 7- The Fair And Err... Pink?  
**

**Nobody's POV-**

"I'll tell you when I'm ready. Or when you win the bet."

She grinned inwardly, realizing that he didn't say if this time.

-------

The show had ended a couple of minutes ago, and currently, Gabriella and Troy were just goofing off on a bench that was a couple of feet away from the poster that had caused their silence earlier. They were enjoying each other's presence, and the fact that the seemingly awkward moment had finally passed and died down. Right now, Troy was midst of telling yet another one of his wild tales with his old best friends, from his childhood.

"…so then it was like one in the morning, I had a sprained ankle, Chad was crying over his straightened hair that had a fork stuck in it, Jason had a pink eye, and Zeke was hugging his spatula like there was no tomorrow!" He continued, trying hard not to laugh and finish his story.

"After that night, we learned to never trust Jason with making mac-n-cheese again." He stated, as he finally let go of his self control, and laughed out loud, along with the almost crying brunette beside him.

"And… all of this happened when Jason… tried to make a simple dairy… and wheat dish?" She asked in between her incessant giggling.

He nodded in agreement to her bewildered face. "I know! Crazy right?" She only waved her hand in response, finding that she couldn't say anything else without calming down from her laughter first. She took in deep breaths before smiling at him.

"Very! It's extremely crazy." She answered, after calming down. She looked into his blue eyes, which were suddenly sparkling at the mention of his old friends. She loved seeing it, so she decided to keep the conversation revolving around them. "Do you still talk to them?"

He grinned, and nodded again. "Yeah. Even though we all live in different states, we still make the effort to see each other at least once a month."

"Aww, poor Pukey." He groaned, hitting his head lightly on the bench, repeatedly. He was seriously regretting telling her that stupid story from his childhood.

"Gabriella!" He whined, making her giggle in response, as she threw her hands up in defense to his exasperated face.

She shook her head, curls falling onto her face. "Alright, alright, I'll stop." She exclaimed. She looked onto his still hunched down figure. She poked his head playfully. "Aren't you going to say anything?" He shrugged, still laying his head down.

"When's your curfew?" He asked, his voice slightly muffled. Gabriella gave him a confused look, almost asking why he was still laying his head down on the bench, blowing at nothing, like that.

"11, usually." She answered, as she shrugged in response, even though he couldn't see her. "Why?"

Troy finally lifted his head and body up from his laying position, and faced her.

He shrugged in response to her question. "No reason. Do you want to see something, really, really, really cool?" He questioned. She giggled at his excitement.

"Well. Judging by the really's it must be cool." She joked. "What is it?" He motioned her to lay down, opposite of how he was just laying.

"Lay down." He told her. She raised her eyebrow in suspicion, as he chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm not going to do anything to you." He reassured her. "Just do it."

Gabriella sighed and nodded, as she did what he said. "Then what?"

"Look straight down onto the puddle." Troy said, and leaned down so that he was lying like he was before. Her facial expression turned into a confused one, as she peered through the cracks of the bench. All she could see was a reflection of the merry-go-round.

"What now?"

"Wait."

"For what?" She asked, hearing him take in a deep breath.

"For this." He replied, as he blew onto the puddle.

The brunette stared in awe as she saw tiny little lights swaying and beaming like a disco ball, through the water. The sparks swayed along with his blowing, beaming up at her face, and under the bench.

He lifted his head up, and looked at her lying figure. "Do you see it?" He asked after a moment of silence. He wasn't really sure if she saw it or not. The angles might've made a huge difference.

"That is so cool!" She exclaimed, as she sat up, just like he had. "How'd you do that?" Troy smiled at her amazement, before answering her question.

"You just blow. The water moves, and so does the reflection." He explained; it was old news to him. He had seen things like this since his childhood.

"How does that work?"

"There are fake crystals down there. The fair's committee leaves them there for everyone to see. That's why there are large gaps in these benches, and why they're so big." He started, motioning to the bench they were sitting on. "And as for how it works, the lights from all of the rides are illuminating on the crystals."

"That's awesome."

He nodded for a second, before leaning down and grabbing a handful of the fake crystals. He examined them, before noticing something.

"This one's real." He stated, lifting the real one up from the palm of his hand. She looked up at him in shock.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. There's a shinier luster to it." He paused for a second, thinking of an idea. "Hey, give me that cell phone charm I won you."

She raised an eyebrow at him, before complying. "Here." He smiled at her, as he put down the fake crystals to where they originally sat, and took the charm from her, and opened it. He gently slipped the real one into it.

"Perfect fit." He said, giving her the charm back.

"Whoa, that opens?" She asked, looking at it closely. She loved how it seemed to shine so much.

"Yup."

She would've liked to ask how he knew so much, once again, but she refrained herself. She would find out soon enough. "Thank you." The brunette expressed.

"For what?"

"For a great day." She concluded. "I had so much fun."

"I'm glad you did, but the night's not over yet." He replied, looking down at his wrist, and at his watch. "It's only 7:30 right now and your curfew's not until 11. So do you wanna go grab a bit to eat?"

She nodded eagerly, suddenly finding herself hungry. "Sure, where to?"

"Savvy's?" He asked.

"You mean that fateful place where we first made eye contact, thirteen days ago?" She responded dramatically. He chuckled, shrugging.

"Whatever you'd like to call it."

"Then I'll call it that then." Gabriella concluded.

He shook his head at her. "Weirdo." She gasped.

"Pukey."

"Shorty." He retorted smugly, as he smirked.

She was about to reply, but she couldn't find anything else to call him but tall. How the heck could she call him Tally? She gave out an exasperated sigh. "…you got me there." She admitted. He laughed.

"Of course, it's the first thing I noticed about you." He winked, nudging her side. She gaped playfully at him, as she pretended to jump and gasp at him.

"Troy! That's mean." She replied. "Judging people by their shortness." She laughed as she shook her head. He smiled at her, and replied a couple of moments later.

"Well, you kinda have to notice another's height when you're saving them from falling." He told her, creating eye contact with her.

"True." She stated, averting their eyes, wondering how their conversation switched from being playful, to slightly intense. She smiled before looking back up at him, and into his azure blue eyes. "But sometimes people just can't help but fall." She stated sincerely. "Short people in this case."

-------

"Thanks for taking me out Troy." She stated, as the two walked up the driveway and towards her front door after eating and goofing off at Savvy's. "You might've judged me a couple of times…" She trailed off, smiling silently, as she lifted her keys from her pocket. "…but it was fun." She finished.

"I didn't judge you." He replied in exasperation. After having a thought, he added another statement to his response. "You know, lying doesn't really work on you." He concluded, shaking his head.

She gasped playfully before responding. "Neither does judging, Pukey." He laughed hearing her call him the infamous name once again, and lightly shoving his shoulder.

"Whatever, Gabriella." He retorted, as she finally opened the front door. She smiled, and turned around to face him.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked curiously. "And maybe we'll see the results of the bet too?" He nodded.

"Sure. Later, Shorty." He greeted, walking away.

"Bye Pukey!" She called after him, hearing him laugh. She sighed, as she walked inside of her house. She gingerly closed the door, and leaned against it.

"At least it wasn't as awkward as I'd thought it'd be." She told herself quietly, walking past the living room, greeting her mother sweetly as she went by. She walked up the stairs and towards her room.

"Woah!" She jumped slightly, hearing the home phone go off.

"Pick that up, will you honey?" Her mom yelled, not moving from her place on the couch. "I'm working on a new project!" She shook her head, running back down the stairs, and towards the receiver.

"Hello?" She said into the phone.

"Where the hell were you! I was expecting to see you during 7th, or after free period, but you disappeared! I was so worried about you." The blonde screeched, angrily, in a protective way.

Gabriella winced at her tone, and was about to tell Sharpay about her hanging out with Troy, but she suddenly remembered about her promised abstinence to him. She quickly thought of an excuse.

"I forgot to tell you!" She exclaimed, walking back up the stairs rapidly, so that her mom wouldn't hear her lying. She walked into her room, closing her door on the way to her bed. "I had a dentist's appointment. And after that, a…" She struggled on what to call Troy for a moment. "…friend wanted to hang out." She bit her lip, as she laid down on her bed, the phone to her ear. She didn't really like lying to her best friend. But not as much as she didn't like breaking false promises.

"Oh. Well you could've told me or something!" The blonde exclaimed. "Instead of leaving me off to wonder if an alien had kidnapped you again." Gabriella laughed at her friend's dramatic conclusions.

"Relax, Arpay. I'm fine." She assured her, happily.

Sharpay raised an eyebrow on the other line. "You seem more than fine."

"What do you mean by that?" Gabriella asked, slightly taken aback, as Sharpay shrugged.

"I don't know. You just seem happier."

"I guess so." She replied, as she took out her cell phone from her pocket, and noticed her new cell phone charm, that was shining vibrantly. She thought back to how she had acquired it in the first place.

_Flashback-_

"I can't believe I'm carrying you." Troy whined, as he continued to balance Gabriella on his back.

She laughed, holding onto his neck and shoulders tightly, so she wouldn't fall off of him, and hurt her scraped ankle even more. "Well, it is your fault for pushing me in that bush." She replied, laying her head down between his shoulder and neck.

"And yours for making me." He retorted, as her head shot up.

"I did not make you!" She argued, defending herself.

"Yeah you did." He replied confidently.

"No- Okay I did." She admitted sheepishly. "So!"

He chuckled. "So, what?" She shook her head.

"I don't know. Hmm, how's the weather?" She asked randomly.

"Chilly. I heard that it was going to rain today." He answered, making her look up at him in surprise.

"Really?"

"Nah. I don't watch the weather." He replied, as she nodded.

"I sometimes do. CNN is pretty awesome you know." She told him, as he abruptly stopped walking, and looked back at her.

"You watch CNN?" She nodded once again, making him give her a look of disbelief.

"Seriously?" He asked.

"Yeah, how come?" She questioned, not getting why he was so shocked by it.

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just creeping me out."

"Why?"

"It's a weird network, for old people."

"No it's not. It's informative." Troy chuckled lightly at her.

"Okay then, Ms. CNN. What do you want to do now?" He asked curiously, as he started to walk again.

"I don't- Oh! Let's go on the Ferris Wheel!" She exclaimed, seeing the Ferris Wheel coming into their sight.

He grimaced at the sight of it. "Ew, do you know what dirty that can be?" He questioned, making her look at him weirdly.

"What do you mean?" She asked, as he rolled his eyes.

"Do you know how many people make out and have quickies on those things?" He replied. "Disgusting!" She giggled, shaking her head.

"You are such a girl." She told him.

"A mental girl." He replied, smirking.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Pukey! You're not mental." He laughed at her response; as they walked pass a carnival booth, and a clowning juggling bowling pins.

"Sure I'm not."

"Troy, really."

"Well- Ow!" He exclaimed in pain, almost dropping Gabriella.

"What was that?" She asked, as she tried to regain her balance on top of him.

He groaned, feeling his head starting to hurt. "I think a bowling pin just hit my head." He claimed, seeing the object in front of him.

"A bowling pin?" She asked, not believing him.

"Yeah, ow." He expressed. "It hurt. Do you mind if I let you down for a sec?" He questioned, she nodded, and got off of him.

"Nah, it's okay. I can walk anyway. I was just pretending." She replied sheepishly.

"Gabriella!" He scolded.

She laughed and shrugged. "What?" Before he could respond, the clown that had hit him had rushed over to them.

"Oops. Sorry, man. I'm new at this thing." He apologized, picking up the bowling pin.

"Juggling?" Tory asked. The clown shook his head, his hair flying all over the place. Troy looked at him suspiciously, recognizing the hair, and the voice.

"No, being a clown." He answered, as he turned to Gabriella. "Hey aren't you going to take care of that?" He inquired, pointing to Troy's head. She raised her eyebrow at him in confusion.

"Take care of what?" She questioned.

"Of your man's boo-boo. Aren't you gonna kiss it?" He asked, as Troy glared at him fiercely, using his eyes to tell him to cut if off.

Gabriella was a little shocked, that the clown had referred to them as being a couple, but she shrugged it off. "Err, sure." She replied, standing on her toes, and kissing the back of Troy's head, awkwardly.

"Thanks Gabriella." He told her.

"No problem." She answered, not noticing the small shade of pink tinted on Troy's cheeks, and the clown silently laughing at them.

"Well, since I might've cost you a couple of brain cells, how about a free playing ticket?" The clown suggested, holding up a ticket that he had pulled out of his pocket. "Ehh? Ehh? You two could go to the tunnel of love!"

"Thanks, Man." Troy seethed, in embarrassment. The clown smirked, and gave him the ticket.

"No need. Just a reward for having to stand my bad clowning skills." He replied, walking back to where he originally was. He kept a careful eye on them.

"So, where do you want to use this at?" Troy asked Gabriella, flashing the ticket with his hands.

The brunette shrugged, before answering. "How about we go to the-"

"No Ferris Wheel." He interjected. "It's too dirty." She shook her head at him.

"I wasn't going to suggest that. I was going to say how about we play one of those games over there?" She asked, pointing to them. "I've always wanted a big stuffed animal." She finished in admiration, seeing one that she was fond of. He saw so, and nodded.

"Okay, let's go then." Troy told her, pulling her with him, toward the direction of the booths. "Bye Chad!" He exclaimed, already knowing that his best friend probably had a shocked face right now.

"Hey! How'd you-" He cut him off, aware of what he was about to ask.

"Known you since preschool!" He yelled behind him, making Gabriella gape at him.

"That was Chad?" She asked, as he nodded in response.

"Yeah, why are you so surprised?" He wondered, as they continued to make their way to the game booths.

"I'm not that surprised, just shocked." She told him. "Didn't you say he lived in New York?" He laughed at her confusion.

"Yes, and?"

"Why is he here?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Troy…" She warned. He only shook his head in response.

"Seriously. I don't know." He replied, as he pulled her along faster. "Now come on! I bet you I can get you that big dog, using my strength." She laughed and hurried to keep up with his pace.

"Come one, come all. Test your strength, and have a ball." The conductor of the booth sang. "Are you as strong as Hercules or a young girl?" He continued, as Troy and Gabriella came up to the counter. Troy gave him the ticket that Chad had given him, and in exchange, the man gave Troy the hammer.

"Here you go, son."

Troy nodded in appreciation. "Thanks." He replied, lifting up the hammer, and hitting the slope. Troy gasped at the result, as Gabriella and the man laughed.

"Everyone, this young man has the strength of a young girl!" He announced, as Troy grumbled, and shook his head.

"Whatever." He mumbled under his breath.

Gabriella laughed, as she walked up to him. "So, when were you planning on telling me that I was hanging out with a little girl?" She asked playfully. He shook his head determinedly.

"I swear Gabriella, that thing is rigged!" He exclaimed, pointing to it. She laughed again.

"Sure it is." She replied sarcastically.

"Really! I could've hit the Hercules target with my left foot!" He told her confidently.

"Wimp." She stated plainly. He rolled his eyes.

"Oh whatever, Gabriella." He responded, as the man came up to them and handed him a cell phone charm.

"Here you go your consolation prize. Thank you for playing, _miss_." The older man teased.

"I'm not a miss!" Troy yelled, attracting a couple of people's attention. He shook his head, as the man returned to his booth.

Gabriella lifted the charm from him, and examined it. "Oh, a blank cell phone charm. Thanks Troy, this is so much better than that big dog." She told him sarcastically. He rolled his eyes once again, before taking it back, and walking back to the booth. He looked at the rack of prizes, and found one suitable for the charm.

"If I gave you a dollar, could you give me that one?" Troy asked the man behind the counter.

"Five, and you've got yourself a deal." The man bargained, as Troy groaned.

"Fine." He replied, taking out his wallet, and pulling out the money. He handed it over, took the charm, and attached it to the cell phone charm. He then walked back to Gabriella.

He handed it to her. "Here."

"Thanks." She said unsurely, as she was what it said. "It says tag. Are we going to play that or something?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No. It's an acronym." He told her.

"T A G?" She asked, not really getting it.

"Troy and Gabriella." He explained, and she oh-ed.

"Aww, that's so cute!" She exclaimed, fingering it, after he had given it back to her. "Thanks, Troy." She told him, and she attached it to her cell phone.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands together once.

Gabriella looked at him in surprise. "What?" He shrugged happily.

"You didn't call me Pukey that time." He replied, smiling. She understood, and smirked at him.

"Oh, I forgot. I'm sorry!" She apologized, getting ready to call him that again.

He frowned at her smirk. "I knew I shouldn't have said that. Forget I-" Before he could finish his sentence, Gabriella interrupted him.

"Pukey!" She interjected, giggling.

"Oh god." He groaned.

_End Flashback._

"Gab?" She called out for the tenth time, finally knocking Gabriella out of her daydream.

"Sure." The brunette replied.

"Sure what?" Sharpay asked.

Gabriella slightly panicked. "Umm, sure to what you asked." She finished unsurely, as her best friend squealed on the other line.

"So you're saying that I should get Jacob to wear pink to match me, right?" The blonde asked, smiling brightly at her great idea. Gabriella bit her lip. If she said yes to this, Jacob could kill her, once he found out. But it would take Sharpay's mind off of her spacing out.

"Uhh, yeah. You should be the one who made the famous Jacob Bolton wear pink." She stated, as she sat up.

"Great!" Sharpay clapped her hands happily. "Now, I have to go get him some pink stuff. Wanna come with, Gab?" She asked.

"I would, but I can't." She replied sadly, remembering that she had a test tomorrow. "It's my study day, remember?"

"Right. Oh well. Toodles Gab!" She exclaimed giddly.

"Bye Pay."

--------

By the time Gabriella had finished all of her homework, and her shower, she heard her cell phone ringing. She bit her lip wondering whether or not she should answer or not. It was now 9:30, and all she wanted to do was unwind, relax, and read a book. Sighing as she heard the fourth ring, she picked it up, just in case.

She was about to speak, until the person on the other line interrupted her. "Gabby! You have got to save me!" He exclaimed frantically, gasping with every breath he took. Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion and worry as to what Jacob was talking about and why he was like that.

"What's wrong?" She asked curiously.

She waited a moment, hearing static on the other line, before he spoke again. "It's Sharpay!" He replied, making her raise an eyebrow.

"What about her?"

"She's making me wear pink!" He yelled.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. She should've known. Jacob was always this dramatic. "So?" She retorted, not really understanding why he made this phone call. "She makes Ryan wear pink too. Heck, she makes everyone wear pink." Jacob groaned in response.

"But why me?" He whined, shaking his head. '_Because I accidentally told her to._' She thought to herself, before giggling silently.

He scoffed. How could she think that this was humorous?

"Gabriella!" He yelled in a whiny voice. "You suck. You find my pain funny?" He asked seriously.

She rolled her eyes again. "It's not pain, Jake."

"Dude, yes it is!" He exclaimed, trying to defend himself. "She bought me pink socks." He listed proudly. Gabriella laughed at how wimpy the situation sounded contrasted to Ryan and her last experience with Sharpay and the color pink.

"I have ten pairs from her." She stated, as she got up, off of her bed. She continued to hold her phone onto her ear, as she listened to Jacob talk.

"Pink shoes?" He tried, making her laugh in response. They _were_ girls after all.

"Eleven pairs." She answered. "Not including high heels." She made her way down the stairs, and into the den, waving to her mom when she saw her.

"Pink scarves?" He asked, looking through his room for more pink items. He was trying to find something that was drastic enough for Gabriella to see the intensity of the situation.

"Handmade or store bought?" She inquired boredly.

"Both." He replied, as he saw some with a couple of tags on them, and some without.

"Twenty-five." She returned, looking through the bookshelf for something good to read after their phone conversation was finished.

He groaned, seeing the next item that came into his vision. He was definitely going to get teased for this. "Pink condoms?"

"A package." She responded simply, making his eyes bulge out of their sockets.

"What?" He exclaimed in shock. "Why'd she buy you-" He cut himself off, not really wanting to know the answer to his question anymore. "You know what?" He asked shortly, not waiting for a response. "I'm not even going to ask." He decided.

She laughed loudly at his freaked out voice, shaking her head. "You could if you want to. It was a mix up. The pink condoms were supposed to be presents for her parents."

"Why would-" He interrupted himself once again. "Okay, again. I'm not going to ask." He told her, a little annoyed that she was still laughing at him.

"Anything else Jake?" She asked, finally finding a good book. "You're kind of being a drama queen right now." She finished, sliding the heavily, thick book off of its shelf.

"Well, how about pink underwear?" He asked, hearing a yelp from the other line, and a loud thump.

"Excuse me?" She gasped out, holding her throbbing foot in pain.

He chuckled, as he thought that she was short of breath was because of what he was saying. "Yeah, you heard me. She bought me pink underwear." He stated proudly, finally finding something that showcased the situation properly. "The whole enchilada of underwear. Bras…" He trailed off, realizing the fact that they weren't for him. "Oh those were hers. Maybe I should've asked before I tried them on." He muttered under his breath, not wanting Gabriella to hear him.

"What?" He coughed loudly, trying to cover up what he had said previously.

"I- uh. I mean…" He paused, as he thought of something else to say. "Boxers, briefs, boxer briefs, and thongs…" He listed, as she cut him off suddenly.

Gabriella felt herself wanting to throw up. "Eww. Jacob! Mental image!" He chuckled, forgetting about his problems for a second.

"Sorry Gab. But seriously, could you please come and talk to her? I mean, I can take the pink shirts, the pink pants, socks, and everything, but not the- Hey! She's throwing out all of my clothes right now!" He yelled in disbelief, now seeing Sharpay throw his clothes out into the front yard.

"You mean all of them?" Gabriella asked, in surprise.

He nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "All except the green. She said that green brings out my eyes." He replied, immediately hearing her stifle giggles. He raised his eyebrow in confusion, before realizing why she was laughing. He groaned.

"Oh come on. Don't be so childish! Green does not mean you're horny!" He whined, he didn't really want to be arguing with Gabriella about the definitions of colors, when Sharpay was trashing his clothes.

"Yes it does!" She argued, flipping through her book.

"No it doesn't!" He retorted, trying to look for Sharpay, who had mysteriously disappeared from his sight.

She laughed. "Stop being a baby. You know it does!"

"I-" Before he could finish his own sentence, he was cut off by Sharpay.

"Jacob Brandon Bolton! Get your butt over here, and try this on for me!" She screeched, being fed up with her boyfriend's reluctance to help her throw out his clothes. She had finally decided that if he wouldn't help her throw things out, than the least he could do was try on her new dress. She had bought it at the mall, before going over to his house. They were the same dress size, after all.

Jacob's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the bright dress that Sharpay was holding. "I'm not trying that on!" He exclaimed, as she smirked evilly at him. He averted his eyes, and paid attention to the still laughing brunette on the phone.

"Gabi, please tell my girlfriend, and your best friend that I am not trying that dress on!" He yelled. All he heard in response was hysterical laughing.

"Gabriella!" He squeaked out, suddenly frightened, once he spotted his girlfriend holding up a tiara along with the dress. "Help me, please!" He exclaimed in a voice that had to at least five decibels higher than he usually spoke.

The brunette calmed down on the other line, shaking her head. "Nah, you're on your own their, buddy. Ryan and I were, when she went through the pink stage with us."

And with that, a dial tone was heard from both ends of the line.

-------

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Jack Bolton asked his second born son, in confusion as to why he was wearing a pink strapless, sparkling dress, pink jewelry, and a pink tiara. It was extremely an eye opener.

Jacob sighed. "Don't ask, Dad. I blame love." He stated shaking his head, thinking about the things he did for his girlfriend, as he walked away from his dad's bedroom door. Just as he walked past the kitchen, he heard the backdoor opening. He looked over, and saw Troy coming inside, with a raised eyebrow, and looking up and down at him amusedly. Jacob groaned inwardly.

"Not a word." He snapped, not wanting to fight with his brother right now.

Troy shrugged and shook his head in response, stifling a chuckle. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice from shaking out with laughter.

He smirked, taking in his brother's mad stare at him. "Wasn't going to. I already knew you were a transvestite."

**Another filler. (;**

**Haha. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but put that pink thing in. I know it's overused, especially with Sharpay, but it helped give a comical insight on Jacob and Sharpay's relationship. Ahh, the insanity of love. Apologies if Sharpay being that way bugs or offends any of you. One of my best friends is actually like that in real life. I kinda based Sharpay off of her.**

**And about the crystal and cell phone charm thing, yes those are real. Both of them have happened to me before. (: I have three cell phone charms that can open like lockets. :D The crystal thing in water is very, very pretty. If you ever get the chance, try it.**

**Next chapter shouldn't take that long. Err, let's just say it will, since I never do keep my word. But I will one of these days, you'll see. You'll all see! (x Sorry for any mistakes! I want to post, so you guys wouldn't have to wait any longer. (: **

**Review, please? –insert puppy eyes here.**

**-Ilyilyx3**


	9. New Facts Learned

**Whoa, she's finally back? No way!**

**Haha. I know, I couldn't believe it either. It's been three months and two days since I've updated this, and I am **_**very**_** sorry for that. My life has been hectic, and seeing how it is now summer, almost everything is cooling down. Luckily. Plus there's this incredibly long list of things that lengthened the update time. But I'm not going to go there, don't worry.  
**

**By the way, there's not a ton of humor in this chapter, but it does help the story get going. :)**

**Enjoy!**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 8- New Facts Learned**

**Nobody's POV-**

Troy continued his way from the kitchen, and into the living room of the house, laughing uncontrollably. He walked past his father's opened bedroom, as he shook his head in amusement. He knew Jacob would have cracked one of these days. Obviously, the day had come.

Just as he began walking towards his room, he heard his name being called. He rolled his eyes slightly, walking backwards and toward his dad's room instead. He opened the door and poked his head plus half of his body inside.

"Yeah, Dad?" He answered in a bored tone, having calmed down from his hysterical laughter. He definitely wanted to avoid talking to his father at all times. He surely was going to get into trouble for ditching midst having detention.

"How was school today, Son?" Jack asked, as Troy's eyebrows rose in surprise.

Why hadn't he said anything about the skipping?

Troy took a full step inside of the room. "Good, I guess." He shrugged.

Jack smirked at his eldest son. If he was going to act nonchalant towards him, he'd do the same thing in response.

"Really," He pressed, taking a good look at his son. He suddenly noticed how he had changed from such a caring young boy to the rude teenager before him. "How could you tell when you weren't even there for half the day?"

Troy shook his head. He knew his dad wouldn't let it slide so easily. He pondered for a moment on what to say, before finally coming to a suitable reason. Well, at least it was suitable to his taste.

"Supernatural powers." He replied smugly.

Jack rolled his eyes in aggravation. He chuckled falsely, before stopping abruptly. "Very funny, Troy. But I'm not laughing." Troy smirked.

"I was." He answered taking a step close to his dad's bed. He was going to enjoy annoying his dad. "Plus you were, just a second ago." He reminded. "It might not have been legit, but it's still laughing."

Jack huffed, knowing he was proven wrong. "Why do you always want to pick a fight with me?"

"Well, it's pretty easy when you don't have a lot of comebacks." He responded, his tone of voice almost sadistic.

"What happened to the old Troy?" Jack pursued curiously, changing the subject to what he was thinking of earlier. "You know, the one that was polite and respectful to his family? The one that was my son and acted like it?"

Troy's eyes hardened at the mention of the past. He rolled his eyes inwardly at his father, "He died, along with his mother." He told him, coldly.

"Troy…" The elder Bolton spoke, as Troy shook his head determinedly.

"Don't, Dad." He responded. He shook his head as he backed away from the bed. "There's nothing you can say or do." Troy ran a hand through his hair, heading for the exit.

"Troy-" He tried, wanting him to come back. "Troy!" He called out, and his son's response was a slammed door.

Disappointed, Jack leaned his head against his headboard. "Why didn't you tell me Lucille?" He asked aloud, hitting the bedside in frustration. He looked up to the book case adjacent from his door and onto his first wife's picture.

He sighed in sorrow before he spoke his next words softly. "I know what I did was wrong, but I didn't think it would cost me our son…" He trailed off, as he began to think of a time where everything was almost perfect.

_Flashback-_

"Daddy!" A four year old Troy exclaimed, happily running up to his father.

Jack grinned at his son, as he set down his suitcase, lifting Troy up and onto his shoulders.

"Hey there, Sport." He greeted, shaking Troy's arms softly. "Where's your mommy?"

"She's right here." Lucille answered. She stepped out from the kitchen, and walked up to her husband of five years. She gave him a half hug, gingerly kissing his cheek. "Edward's coming over today." She announced, smiling.

Jack gave another smile in return, as he let the now squirming Troy off of his shoulders.

"Great. Is he bringing-" He began, but was cut off by the doorbell.

The couple shared a happy glance, as Lucille headed towards the door to answer it. She opened it, and there was Edward himself.

"Hey Luc, hey Jack." He greeted the two, walking inside of the house as he held his daughter's hand tightly in his own. Lucille smiled at the younger version of one of their old friends, as she closed the door behind them.

"And how have you been, pretty little thing?" She greeted playfully, tickling the younger brunette. She was automatically greeted by a fit of giggles and a faint 'good'. She smiled and stood up and went to join the conversation her husband and Edward were currently in.

"How's the project going, Lucille?" Edward asked, directing their conversation to her.

She smiled at the mention of one of her prized hobbies and career. "It's going great. The boss really likes my paintings. She's particularly interested in 'Hollow's Woods'." She responded.

Jack was about to add in his opinion of her most recent project, but was interrupted again. But this time, not because of the door bell. But because of the abrupt giggling of the two kids.

The three turned around, and all shared a similar, scheming glance, as they watched their two kids interacting.

"They're going to make a cute couple one of these days." Edward winked at the two. "Troy's the perfect one for her."

Lucille smiled softly at her son and his potential wife. "And she's perfect for him."

_End Flashback._

Jack clenched his eyes shut; trying to void the pain and guilt he was feeling for the remembrance of his late wife, and his old friend that had passed away.

--

A tall figure, with blonde hair that was slightly spiked up, walked into the halls of East High with his girlfriend. He had his left arm, linked with her right one. He was wearing a green shirt, with pink wide-legged pants. Covering his green eyes, were a pair of large black sunglasses that he hoped hid his face and helped him from being recognized.

"Jakey, take off those sunglasses." Sharpay chastised, taking them off for him. "They look weird, plus they don't match our outfits!" She told him, motioning to their clothes with her free arm. "That's not a good thing."

He groaned, after seeing most of the school look at him in bewilderment. "Pay, I'm begging you!" He exclaimed, trying to pull his best sad face. "Can I please go home and change into something that's not pink?" Sharpay raised an eyebrow, clearly not seeing anything wrong with a pair of pants being pink.

"Why? It looks fabulous on you." She told, smiling, as he shook his head.

"No it doesn't. People are staring!" Sharpay took a look around them, and saw that everyone else was clearly staring at them. She scowled, putting on her fierce, 'what-are-you-looking-at' face, as the audience immediately cleared.

The blonde turned back to Jacob. "See Jakey? Now they're not." She giggled. "Come on let's go!" She exclaimed, taking a hold of his hand, pulling the reluctant boy along with her.

And as the couple went down the hall, whispers of gossip could be heard…

"Was that_ the_ Jacob Bolton?" Alyssa asked, her face contorting into a disgusted expression.

"Ew, he's turned gay on us!" Jane sneered, watching the guy she'd liked before walk down the hall with Sharpay. Alyssa nodded in agreement.

"Good thing Sharpay got him after all." She replied. "You know, I heard from Gabriella that The Mental Guy is actually Jacob's brother." She added.

Jane gave her a look of curiosity. "Montez? And Troy?"

"Yeah." She nodded, and a plan was made inside of Jane's head.

"Let's go get the second best brother then." She said, smirking. _'Sharpay won't be able to have both of the Bolton brothers eating out of the palm her hand.' _Jane thought evilly.

--

Troy Bolton was confused and pissed.

He looked back once, before continuing down the hall. He turned left after the hallway had stopped, hoping to avoid _them_.

This morning, his alarm clock had run out of batteries, as it didn't wake him up. By the time he got up himself; it was already late into the morning, which led him to not having enough time to complete his normal morning routine. His hair was left down, the dirty blonde hair, and his newly dyed bright blonde hair mixed together in harmony, as it gave him a messy mop head with highlights. He couldn't find any of his 'mental' clothing, so he had to settle for a wrinkled t-shirt, and ripped jeans.

But that wasn't the end of his bad luck. When he finally got to school, most of the snobby girls that usually ignored and sneered at him were all over him. Crowding around his locker, following his every step, forming a circle around him, even flirting with him. Nobody was leaving him alone!

He sighed in aggravation as he saw yet another girl flirtatiously waved at him. He awkwardly waved back, wincing after hearing the girl shriek loudly.

"_Oh my god! He just waved at me! Kitty! Big news!"_

He growled angrily at the ruined peacefulness he had, continuing to stalk down the new hallway. Just as he was about to enter homeroom, a younger guy –presumably a freshman- walked up to him. Troy rolled his eyes at the interruption.

"What do you want kid?" Troy asked, his anger clouding over his common sense.

"Are you really Jacob Bolton's brother?" He asked, trembling slightly.

"If I say yes will you get out of my way?" Troy demanded, realizing why all of the girls were starting to come on to him. The freshman nodded. He sighed loudly before answering the frightened freshman. "Yes, now leave will ya?" The younger teenager nodded in thanks, before running away from him.

Troy shook his head, walking into the room. The moment he stepped foot inside of the class, Mrs. Darbus' turned to him, before glaring at him with spiteful eyes. Obviously, he had interrupted her another one of her lectures.

"The right way to act properly in my homeroom would to be on time Mr. Bolton." Mrs. Darbus scolded, Troy nodded not really interested in what she was saying.

He muttered a sorry before walking to his seat in the middle of the room. He sat down biting his lip, angrily putting his hood over his head, as he laid his head down on his desk, ignoring all of the lustful stares from the other girls.

"Now, before I was so rudely interrupted by Troy, remember that in two weeks…"

--

"So I can't keep my classes?" The brunette asked dejectedly. She was currently in her guidance counselor's office, having just received the news that she would not be able to keep her current classes.

"I'm sorry, Gabriella." Ms. Karmen apologized. "But after you registered out of your classes, other students registered in them. And you are aware of the recent budget cuts we had."

Gabriella nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess it's my fault then." The guidance counselor smiled softly at one of her favorite students.

"I'm sorry, Dear." The brunette shook her head, not wanting the elder to feel bad.

"No, no. It's fine." Ms. Karmen sent her a disbelieving look. "Really. Thanks anyway." She pressed, standing up from her chair, ready to leave.

"I'll call you up to my office if anything changes?"

Gabriella smiled in gratitude. "Yes, please."

The brunette was answered by another smiled, as she left the guidance counselor's office. She walked out into the hall, and started to look around for the guy she'd spent the entire day with last night again. Having no luck once more, she frowned deeply.

"Where is he?" She muttered to herself.

She'd been looking for him the entire morning, but she didn't see him. She didn't get to see him during homeroom either, because she had just skipped it, having the meeting with Ms. Karmen. At first she had wanted to find him to do the bet already, but now she wanted to tell him that she was transferring out of the classes. If only she knew where he was currently at.

-

Gabriella sighed, and ran a hand through her hair as she continued to walk down the hall, when she suddenly felt herself colliding with another body. She looked up, and saw the same guy posing as the clown, she had seen yesterday at the NM Fair.

His head of curls bounced up and down as he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."

She smiled, and shook her head. "No, it's fine. You're Chad, right?" He raised an eyebrow at her, before grinning at her in realization.

"And you're Gabriella aren't you?" Chad asked, continuing when she accepted the identity with a nod. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." She replied happily. "Err, without the clown costume, of course." She joked. "What were you doing there anyway?"

He grinned, remembering the kissing scene with Troy and Gabriella the past night. "I got a part time job there."

"Sounds like… fun." She commented slowly, her mind wondering why a guy would want to be a clown.

Chad shook his head rapidly. "Not if you have to deal with little children with a phobia of clowns." He winced, feeling his headache from the night before act up again. "Their parents hit really hard, trust me."

Gabriella giggled at the warning. "I'll take your word for it." She replied, as her curiosity began to act up once again. "Could I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"Why aren't you in New York?" She asked, as Chad gave her a look of slight disbelief.

"Troy got that far with you, huh?" She nodded. "Well, basically? I'm visiting here with Troy for the next two months." As she opened her mouth to question why, he butted in. "Don't ask why, I'm not sure if I can disclose that info yet."

She rolled her eyes. "You're exactly like Troy." Chad chuckled, shrugging in response.

"What can I say? We're best friends. We rub off on each other." He told her, raising an eyebrow at her abrupt giggling.

He suddenly winced figuring out what she was laughing at. He shuddered inwardly at the mental image he'd gave himself. "Not in that way, of course." He added quickly.

Gabriella nodded unbelievingly. "Sure." He rolled his eyes.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah." He paused remembering where he was. "Well, we're so similar to each other, that I wouldn't be surprised if he came in these halls one of these days, with an afro just like mine." The brunette laughed at the image of Troy in an afro.

" Well, maybe a little worse, but close enough." Chad added in an afterthought, making Gabriella laugh even harder than before.

He laughed along with her, as a comfortable silence fell between the two.

"You're funny, you know that right?"

"I've been told that." He laughed. "Let's see what progress you've made with him." He said a moment later.

"Has he told you the mac-n-cheese story yet?" Chad asked curiously.

Gabriella laughed, and nodded. "Yeah, it was hilarious! How _did_ Jason cause such a ruckus?" She asked rhetorically.

"No one knows." He shrugged, chucking a little bit.

"So what _can_ you tell me?" She questioned, after their laughter had died down. She looked up at him, and saw that he was deep in concentration. She pursed her lips up, waiting for his response.

"Just a small bit." He answered, much to Gabriella's relief. She was almost sure he was going to say no.

"But don't worry. When the time comes, he'll fill you in himself." He gave her a look of encouragement. "You can be the first to crack The Mental Guy." He winked, as he paused and thought of what he could tell her without having his hair cut off the next morning.

"First off, Troy's not really mental, as you've noticed. It's an act he puts on." She gave him a look of confusion. "He does it so nobody comes near him, or even tries to." Chad explained, as he chuckled seeing the look of confusion that still decorated her face.

"He had a bad experience with girls during 3rd grade. Both he and I don't like to relive it." He elaborated, shuddering for effect. "It wasn't pretty, and by it, I mean the girls." He laughed.

"But once he warms up to you, he'll put it away, no matter where you're at. Don't worry."

--

Gabriella laughed as she parted from Chad. He had told her small tidbits about Troy that definitely helped the mystery of his past. So far, she had learned that Troy wasn't always as secluded as a child, he definitely had his reasons for acting mental, and as a kid, he had an imaginary pig friend named Arnold. The most important piece of information was that he began do the act after hectic changes in his life style.

Gabriella covered her ears when she heard more of her schoolmates' shrieking. She groaned inwardly, which cute guy were they for this time?

She turned her head, and to her surprise, she finally saw him. Strangely enough, he was the one the screams were meant for. He was currently surrounded by girls, as he tried to walk through the halls. But the most peculiar thing was that he looked like he did the first day she met him at the diner.

"Pukey!" She exclaimed, frowning when he didn't reply. She then reminded herself that he hated that nickname. She decided to call him by his regular name. She hoped that it would actually attract his attention and he would actually respond or look at her this time.

Gabriella took a deep breath before yelling as loud as she could, "Troy!"

Still nothing.

She sighed, as she called his name once more, when he began to pass her. But still no response from him. He just carried on his way, walking down the opposite direction, cringing and wincing every other scream the girls emitted.

She shook her head in confusion, as she walked the other way.

She began to piece together the reasons of why he would avoid her. She had analyzed what had happened, as she remembered the first day she'd talk to him. He had wanted no one to hear him. She found one reason; he was ignoring her because they were at school.

Her eyes widened, as Chad's words went through her head. _"But once he warms up to you, he'll put it away, no matter where you're at."_

Right now, she really hoped that being at school was the reason.

--

Troy stayed crouched inside the bathroom stall. He sighed, as he leaned his head against the front of the stall's door. He knew that he would regret it later, seeing how it was dirty, but right now? He could care less. He was tired, stressed, scared, and aggravated. He was tired from running from the girls all day, stressed by the loud, obnoxious screams and stalkers that followed throughout the entire day. He was scared, because he could've sworn that there had been three _guys_ checking him out. Last, he was aggravated that he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Gabriella.

He had heard her call him Pukey, and then reverting back to calling him Troy. He was eager to talk to her and to start the bet, but after what he'd seen happen when he waved or even looked like he was paying attention to one of his crazy stalkers, they'd only scream louder. He had really felt bad that he had ignored her, and he only hoped that Gabriella would still talk to him.

Troy stayed inside the stall and waited for a while longer, until he couldn't hear any other sounds of heels clicking outside of the boy's bathroom. The final bell had rung about five minutes ago, and he was just waiting to hear silence. After finally hearing nothing, he got out of the stall, and opened the door. He sighed in relief once he saw that the girls that had been following him had all left.

He walked out of the bathroom, and jumped in surprise when he saw a brunette standing right in front of him.

"Hello, Troy."

**Do me a favor, and click on that small box?**

**It'll make me really happy. ;) Plus it'll give me a good idea of who's still interested in this story.**

**Oh, and once again sorry for any mistakes. I tend to write into the night, and I'm usually tired by then. x)**

**-Ilyilyx3**

**P.S. Did anyone see what's funny about the chapter title? Review it, and I'll dedicate the next chapter to you. :D**


	10. The Brightside

–**dodges the millions of objects being thrown-**

**I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!  
**

**Umm…basically, I'm sorry times 79823659781. :)**

**I know, I know. It's been like what, half a year since I've updated this? Oh, wait. Strike that. It's been exactly 168 days. O.o**

**Life's just been too hectic for me. And when I finally got a break from it, my computer died on me. Seriously. It's like fate is against me or something. Boo. You. Fate.**

**Haha. Yeah, I'm hoping there still are readers out there. If not, I'd be talking to myself, and that's just a teeny bit creepy if you ask me. Lol. Yeah, anyway. Just a small recap for those of you who forgot what is happening. Jacob's being forced to wear pink, and some green. Chad's visiting Troy for god knows how long (hehe. I still haven't written out the entire plot, okay? I'm working on it.) Troy's been deemed as Jacob's brother, was sort of normal looking in the last chapter. Girls are chasing him, and he ends up ignoring Gabriella unintentionally. Any of that ring a bell? If not, reread the earlier chapters. ;)**

**And…sorry if this chapter is little weird. My mind's all jumbled up with how I want to continue this. Plus, I'm kinda lost some notes I had on this story. Blah, yeah. Just read. :)**

**Oh, and chapter's dedicated to Lauren (**_**LaurenPaitentOfZEOD**_**) and **_**horsesmakemehappy**_** for pointing out the kink in last chapter's title. The initials were NFL, which in America stands for National Football League. Haha. Yeah…don't ask.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM, Hannah Montana, Cody Linley, The Killers, or any other thing I refer to in this chapter. :)**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 9- The Brightside**

**Nobody's POV-**

He walked out of the bathroom, and jumped in surprise when he saw a brunette standing right in front of him.

"Hello, Troy."

Troy looked up, groaning inwardly when he saw yet another one of those snobby girls.

"No, I will not go out with you!" He immediately exclaimed. She giggled before shaking her head.

"Silly. I'm not here to ask you out."

He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously." She nodded. "Then what are you here for?" He asked skeptically.

"I'm here to get to know you!"

"Okay…" He trailed off looking for the nearest exit. Having found it, he made a run for it. "…bye now."

"Wait!"

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G…I wanna get you away from me." He began singing as he made his escape from her. Panting slightly, he arrived to the safe haven, the front entrance of the school. He pushed the door, staring at it in confusion when it wouldn't open. He looked at the sign and chuckled at his own stupidity.

_Pull._

He shook his head at himself, and opened the door. He looked up, and grinned. Luck was finally on his side for once. He walked up behind the brunette quietly, as he placed his hands over her eyes, chuckling when she jumped slightly in surprise.

"Guess who?" He asked, using a tone of voice that was deeper than his own.

"I don't know a creepy kidnapper?"

He chuckled, as he removed his hands from her. "Wow, when did I go from being Pukey to being a kidnapper?"

"Aww, it's you Pukey!?" Gabriella exclaimed, feigning denseness. "Why'd you have to go and do that? You've crushed my hopes and dreams." She told him, dramatically pouting for effect. "I was hoping for someone else to whisk me away."

"Maybe I should've kidnapped you after all." He joked after rolling his eyes. "You would've been more ecstatic to see me when I came to save you."

She laughed, shaking her head. "But then you wouldn't be able to have kids anymore." He raised an eyebrow.

"What, why?"

"Because I'd kick you somewhere really hard and make sure I damaged it." She responded, grinning innocently. She laughed abruptly at his look of horror, and patted his cheek trying to give him some comfort. "So, where were you all day?"

He groaned, lifting his hand out. "You do not want to know."

"Come on, it'll be fair if you told me, seeing how you ignored me the whole day."

"I was not ignoring you." Gabriella raised her eyebrow and gave him a blatant look.

"Pukey."

"Okay, I was." He relented. "But I had a good reason."

She nodded. "Good. You can tell me that, while as you walk me home." The brunette began walking down the steps, motioning with her hand to tell him to come with her. He chuckled to himself, before following and walking in step with her.

"You know, I never said I would walk you home." She shrugged in response.

"I know, but yet you're still here. Walking me."

He couldn't argue with that.

--

"So all this time, you were hiding in a bathroom stall?" Gabriella asked, laughing exceedingly. Something she had seemed to be doing a lot lately.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, hard to believe right?"

"Really hard." Troy snickered.

"That's what she said!"

His snickering came to a halt, once he felt a slap to his arm. "Ow! Now that's just rude. You do not slap your walking booty." She laughed and shrugged.

"I can if I want, Booty." She stuck her tongue out at him, laughing when he did the same to her. "Now. Please continue your story."

Troy pondered what he was talking about for a moment. "Basically…those girls have long, sharp, pointy, vicious, flesh killing-"

"-nails." He finished, smiling bashfully once he saw her look of annoyance.

She giggled at him, shaking her head. "I'm starting to think you have a rambling problem." He laughed along with him.

"Well, I don't talk much at home. So sometimes, it just spills out. I can't control it."

"Ah, ah, ah." He interjected before she could open her mouth and say anything. "You haven't won yet."

She scoffed and let out a breath of annoyance. "Fine, but can we at least do the bet tomorrow?" She questioned, looking away from the sidewalk, and up at him. "I'm dying of the anticipation!" He laughed.

"Let me find a moment where the nail demons aren't surrounding me, and I'll call your name, okay?" Gabriella pursed her lips for a moment, before relenting to his suggestion.

"Sounds good." She smiled, when they reached her doorstep. "But just one thing."

Troy stared at her slight blush in question. "What?"

"Can I have a hug?"

"Umm…why?" He asked.

"No reason." She ducked her head down slightly. "I just want to hug my Pukey goodbye," She finished awkwardly. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

He smiled at her nervousness, and lifted her chin up slightly. "Nope, there's nothing wrong with it."

He answered, gingerly bringing her into a hug. Gabriella giggled at their evident height difference, before wrapping her arms around him. She squeezed him softly, smiling when she felt him do the same to her. He unwrapped himself from her, and took a small step back. "See you tomorrow, Gabriella."

"You too Pukey." She sighed, a look of happiness, and a small grin invading her face as she watched his fleeting figure.

--

"Hey Troy?" Jacob asked, opening the door and stepping inside.

Troy looked up from his canvas, and glared at his brother for interrupting his peace and quiet. "What?"

"Can I borrow one of your normal shirts?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why, tired of people knowing your true sexual orientation?"

Jacob stared at him blankly, shaking his head. "I'm not gay. If I was, I wouldn't be going out with Sharpay." He pointed out, making Troy snort loudly.

"Who knows? You could be dating her to get to that Rain guy, her brother."

"His name's Ryan."

Troy shrugged, not caring at all. He stood up from his desk, and went to his dresser. He sifted though his shirts, grinning when he found what he was looking for. He grabbed it and threw it at Jacob. "Here."

"It's pink." He groaned, examining it closely. "And it's ripped."

"So?"

"And it says _'Yes, Idaho' _on it." He stated, looking at the shirt in surprise. Troy laughed at his reaction, and shook his head, shrugging his shoulders.

"Seriously, what's your point?"

"It freaking has a picture of a garden hoe on- wait. Is that a…ew. I can't wear this shirt. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if it's true."

"It's not true!" He gritted out of his teeth. "I'm not a fucking hoe."

"Sure you're not. Now can you leave? You've got your shirt." Jacob was about to retort, when he felt paint hitting his face. He gaped at his brother.

"Come on!" Troy raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like me to make you pink to match that pretty little number you were wearing yesterday?" He asked, raising his bottle of pink paint to make his point.

Jacob's eyes widened as he held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll leave."

He groaned, as he left the room, wincing at the sound that was made when Troy slammed the door against him. He went back to his own room, and threw the pink shirt on his bed. He stared at the shirt he was currently wearing, and groaned when he saw there was paint on it. _'Another good shirt ruined.'_ He thought wryly. He took off the shirt, and stared at the selection of clothing for the next day, and sighed to himself. He really needed to purchase some appropriate clothing, and hide them from Sharpay. He looked at the Idaho shirt, and toward the shirts his girlfriend had purchased for him.

Another day of stinking in his gym clothes, it was.

--

"So, how's the weather down there?" He asked cheekily leaning over her.

She looked up and threw him an unamused glance. "Ha-ha. Very funny, Pukey." He only shrugged in response.

"No, seriously. I heard the weather down below is much colder than it is up here." Troy nodded his head. "Simple sixth grade science, Gabriella."

"I'm not that short!" She exclaimed, offended. "I'm only a couple of inches shorter than you at most."

Troy smirked at her, before standing up and bending his knees so he stood her height. "This is you." He told her, before standing up to his full height. "And this is me." He immediately knew he had proved his point when she barely reached his shoulder. "You were saying?" He asked cheekily, laughing when she nudged him with her elbow.

"Shut up."

"Why should I?" He nudged her back. "It's true."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She responded, rolling her eyes. "Just you wait, once we get out of high school, I'll get a growth spurt and be recruited to the NBA." She joked, closing her locker door. "Oh yeah, then you'll be sorry."

He snorted. "What?"

"Are you planning on getting a sex change in the future or something?" She gaped at him.

"Ew! No, why?"

Troy laughed, shaking his head at her. "NBA is for men only, Sweetheart."

"So? I'll be so tall; they'll be begging me to play." She exaggerated, blushing slightly when she realized he had called her sweetheart.

"Sure, and when that happens, Chad will willingly straighten and tie his hair back." Before Gabriella could retort, she was interrupted by the guy they were talking about.

"Hey! No making cracks about the hair!" He exclaimed, grinning jokingly, as he walked up to them. "It's a precious thing, and it has feelings too you know."

Troy and Gabriella laughed when he patted his afro. "I'll make jokes at your hair's sake all I want." Troy stated smugly.

"No you won't." Chad snorted, making Troy raise his eyebrow.

"And why won't I?"

"Because if you do," he paused, thinking of some blackmail he had on his childhood friend. His face brightened up when he thought of something. "I'll tell her about Skyler."

He laughed loudly at the look of horror on his best friend's face. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would."

"Wait, who's Skyler?" Gabriella asked in confusion, looking at the mortified boy, and the smug one.

"Oh, no one special." Chad laughed. "Just Troy's-" He was cut off when Troy covered his mouth.

"No one. No one at all, Gabriella." He interjected.

Troy scowled to himself when he felt Chad licking his hand. He immediately retracted it, wiping the saliva on his jeans. "Screw you, Danforth." Chad only rolled his eyes in response, and he scrunched up his face in disgust.

"Eww. What'd you do to your hand? It tastes like soap."

"Maybe because I washed it?" He retorted, continually wiping his hand to rid of any access germs.

Gabriella laughed at the pair's interaction. "You two are crazy."

"We are not!" They dignified at the same time, only making Gabriella laugh harder.

"But hey, look on the bright side, you-" She shut her mouth, when she heard Troy's abrupt singing.

"I'm coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine." He sang, looking over at Chad and handing him an imaginary microphone.

"Gotta, gotta be down," He continued, shaking his head in all directions. "Because I want it all."

"It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?" The brunette laughed as the two began taking turn singing the verses.

"It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss."

"Now I'm falling asleep, and she's calling a cab." She interjected before Chad could sing his part. "While he's having a smoke, and she's taking a drag." She finished grinning proudly.

Chad stared at her with wide eyes. "You know this song?!" He asked in disbelief, making a face that amused both Gabriella and Troy.

"Of course." She giggled. "The Killers rock out loud."

Chad shook his head at her. "Dude!"

"What?" Troy responded with laughter laced in his voice.

"She knows the song!"

He laughed, nodding his head. "Yeah…what's your point?"

"No one ever knows it!" He exclaimed, still staring at Gabriella. She squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, as she looked at Troy for help.

"Just keep singing Chad." Troy stated, adverting his attention from her. "You can gape over Gabriella later." He smiled at her when she mouthed 'thank you' to him.

Chad rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just ruin my fun, why don't ya. I get to start though!"

"Whatever." The other two laughed as Chad began singing again.

"I'm coming out of my cage…"

She laughed as Chad and Troy continued to sing _Mr. Brightside_ together. It was such an old song. But she had to admit, it had a good tune to it. Plus, it had been one of her favorite songs back then. In addition to all of that, it was absolutely hilarious seeing the two best friends belting out to it.

"…she's touching his chest now, he takes off her dress now…"

---

"Jealousy turning saints into the sea. Swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis." She sang softly, sifting through her bag. "But it's just the price I pay. Destiny is calling me. Open up my eager eyes. Cause I'm Mr. Brightside."

"Hmm, you know. I never knew you were a mister."

She jumped in shock when she heard his voice. She immediately stopped singing and laughed at his statement. She quickly motioned for him to sit next to her.

"What's up?" She asked, wanting to divert him from talking about her singing.

"Oh you know, the usual. Just taking off some girl's dress while smoking." She snorted at him.

"So you're the guy I'm jealous of?" She asked, playing along as he chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. I mean, just look at me." He responded, motioning to himself smugly.

Gabriella shook her head, laughing. "You do know you're quoting from Hannah Montana, right?"

"I am?!" She almost died of laughter at his immediate reaction. She nodded at him.

"Yes! That's what Cody Linley says in a couple of episodes he guess-starred in."

He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm gonna kill Chad. I swear, he was the one who told me that."

"Chad watches Hannah Montana?" She raised an eyebrow, as he shrugged in response.

"I guess so."

Troy laughed loudly, noticing something interesting. "Wait a minute, I just realized something."

"What?"

"You watch Hannah Montana too!" He exclaimed, pointing at her.

She gaped at him, shaking her head quickly. "I do not!"

"You so do," He chuckled. "That would be the only reason you know that stuff. I mean, any other normal person wouldn't notice that, much less care." He pointed out, smirking at her angry expression she was currently adorning.

"Are you calling me weird?" She asked, with her mouth open.

He nodded at her. "Mhmm, got a problem with it?"

"Yes! I'm not weird. I'm abnormal." She stated, making him laugh even more. "Get it right."

He stared at her, shaking his head. "It's the same thing."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is- bowk." Gabriella was cut off effectively when he stuffed a brownie in her mouth.

He laughed cheekily at her angry face, and got up before she could do anything to him. She looked at him in confusion, as she chewed and swallowed the rest of the brownie in her mouth. She stared with question evident in her eyes, when she saw him standing three tables away from her. She raised an eyebrow, after seeing him wave to her excitedly and brightly jumping up and down.

"What in the world is he-" She muttered to herself, evidently being cut off.

"Gabriella!"

And then it clicked inside her head. He had started his part of the bet.

--

Gabriella walked out of the library in a fuming manner. The last two hours of her day had not gone so well. First off, she lost the bet with Troy. No one had freaked out when he called her by her full name. A couple of people had stared in them in question, but no one really minded. Most of them simply didn't care. After lunch, she had gone into her leadership class only to find she had forgotten her project at home. Then, when she went to her art class, Troy was nowhere to be found, and as was the teacher. The entire class had to be moved into the library for a free period.

Currently, she was walking out in the hallways. She inwardly rolled her eyes when yet another girl was glaring at her. When she had been inside the library, almost half of the girls inside had asked her about Troy. It was completely aggravating to her. What was so interesting about him, that all of the girls had to know? He was like any other new kid, just last week. It wasn't her fault that she actually noticed him, and had gotten him to warm up to her. Beside, she had only been hanging out with him for a couple of days. She hadn't met him formally until then. It wasn't even like they were best friends or anything.

She walked outside of the main corridor, and looked for a vacant spot to sit and finish her work. She really needed to get some last minute work finished. She finally spotted a vacant spot under a near by tree, and sat under the shade, taking out the materials she knew she needed. She opened up her math book, and began skimming through the problems when a gust of wind blew by. She looked at her surroundings, taking in the serenity of the area. She smiled softly; she had always loved the windy weather.

She turned back to her math book, only to see it was gone. Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, before she looked up to see a hand held out in front of her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, as she reached up to grab her math book back, only to have it taken out of her reach. "Troy!"

He shook his head at her, amused. "Take my hand." He told her, waving his outstretched hand a bit.

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

"But where would we go?" She asked quizzically staring at his hand, before looking at him.

"Somewhere." He answered, chuckling. "I promise I won't kidnap you. Well…technically I am, but I won't hurt you."

She laughed softly. "Yeah, right. I'm pretty sure there's a big van out there, ready for you to stuff me in." He laughed in response, as he held his hand right in front of her once again.

"Come on, I just wanna show you something."

With one look into his warm eyes, she couldn't say no.

**If there are any readers who are still out there, THANK YOU.**

**Haha. Seriously. Thanks to everyone who's still following my work, and are constantly PMing me, bugging me to work on this. Really. From the bottom of my heart.**

**Once again, sorry for any mistakes. I wanted to get this out as quickly as I could.**

**P.S. Reviews would be lovely. :)**


	11. Random Revelations

**Okay, honestly? I haven't really been in the mood to write at all. This chapter was from the beginning of summer, where I had been trying to finish this story. Let's just say I didn't get very far. I will be continuing this, until I finish it. I'm not abandoning it, I promise you guys that. I just hate how long I've been making you guys wait for updates. I apologize for that. Plus, this chapter isn't really the best one out there either, but it does get the story going somewhat. And I'm hoping it will satisfy any readers I still have for the time being.  
**

**Again, I'm really sorry for taking so long with this. I'll try my best to push myself to write more often and get this finished.  
**

**The Mental Guy**

**Chapter 10- Random Revelations**

**Nobody's POV-**

"Come on, I just wanna show you something."

With one look into his warm eyes, she couldn't say no.

--

Gabriella gently tugged on his hand, once she saw where they had ended up. "This place again?" She asked, referring to the park they had came to just a couple of days ago. "I'm starting to think there really is a big white van somewhere." She joked, nudging him lightly.

He chuckled and shook his head at her. "Trust me, there isn't. Now come on."

Troy led the way, and she followed without any hesitation or any questions. She knew that what he was doing was going to be of importance. The brunette's eyebrows crinkled together as she felt him starting to lead her out of the park. She was really curious as to where they were going now. She had just thought they'd stay there, but apparently, they weren't.

The brunette stared at him, watching his movements. She watched as his brow crinkled when he was concentrating on where to go next, and gave a slight grin. Her hand still hadn't left his, and strangely, she liked it that way. It was really unsettling for her to be so comfortable around him, when she was usually uncomfortable with most of her guy friends. She shook her head of all these probing thoughts and let herself be pulled along to where ever he wanted her to go with him. She tried her best to keep in step with him, and not to fall behind and make him slow down. The look of determination on his face was enough evidence to her that where ever he was taking her, was important.

Troy smiled faintly, when he saw the building that he'd spent most of his childhood in, come into view. It had been too long.

"We're here."

--

"You made this?" She asked in amazement. "This is just…just…" She trailed off; gingerly fingering the painting he was holding up.

"Amazing?" He grinned.

She nodded, taking in all parts of the painting, her eyes focusing on a specific area. She laughed inwardly, shaking her head at him. "You loser."

"What? I thought you liked what I painted."

"Yeah, I would…if your name was Lucille Tyler." She laughed, gesturing to the signature that was indeed written on the bottom corner of the painting.

"Okay, you caught me." He chuckled, shrugging and putting the piece of art down before picking another canvas up. "Lucille is the one who painted this. But I did, make this one."

"Wow." Gabriella breathed, her eyes moving back and forth, trying to absorb in the entire abstract picture. "It's almost as good as her's, if not better." She complimented.

He smiled softly. "Yeah. I guess my mom gave me the trait after all."

"Lucky ducky." She complimented, as he looked up at her, and gave her a strange look.

"Lucky ducky?" He raised an eyebrow. "You really are a card, Gabriella."

She giggled. "Oh really? Fine. You don't get to be lucky then." She thought for a while, before grinning. "How about Chunky Monkey?" He mock gasped.

"Are you calling me fat?" He asked, his face in surprise, as he raised a seemingly damp smock to throw at her. She raised her hands in defeat, shaking her head.

"Nah, I was only kidding." He grinned.

"You better be." He told her, turning back to collecting his paintings.

Gabriella looked thoughtful for a moment, before she spoke. "How about Hunky Monkey, instead?" He smirked at her.

"You think I'm hunky, ey?" He questioned smugly, winking at her. She laughed at his silliness, nodding.

"Sure, let's go with that." He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, why can't I be lucky, and hunky?" He asked playfully after a moment of silence between the two.

She laughed again. "Fine, you can be a Donkey then."

He turned back towards her, and gaped at her. "What did I do to deserve being called an ass?"

"Plenty." Gabriella laughed, as he actually threw the smock at her. "Hey, I was only kidding." He poked his tongue out at her.

"You know, I'm starting to like Pukey more than ever." She grinned at this, before retorting.

"Good. You can be Pukey the Donkey."

"Oh joy." He replied sarcastically. "I get to be the puking ass."

She smiled playfully at him. "Good, I'm glad you've finally found your identity."

"Oh, hey! The throw up can be considered as poop!" Troy stared at her in shock, and shook his head, laughing at her. "You really are, weird Gabriella."

He bent down to tie his shoe, freezing in fear when he heard a ripping sound, followed by the brunette's muffled laughter. His face began to radiate a bright crimson red, as he closed his eyes tightly, turning his body to face the other way. "Gabriella…please tell me you're using that smock to mess with me."

"Umm…not…necessarily." She muttered in between her giggles, as she bent down to pick up the piece of fabric. She kept her crouched position, moving over to stand eye to eye to him.

"I think you might need this now." She grinned teasingly, handing him the cloth.

Troy immediately took the smock from her, standing straight up as fast as he could. He shook his head, tying it around his waist and covering himself. "You never saw that." He breathed in embarrassment.

"Mhmm." She giggled. "I never saw your spiderman boxers."

He rolled his eyes, shoving her arm lightly. "Moving on…" She shoved him back and shook her head.

"Oh, no you don't. This is payback now." Gabriella grinned, crossing her arms over her chest. "You called me weird, remember? And me being my weird self, I just _have_ to talk about your underwear."

"Really, now?" He chuckled, smirking at her. "I'm thinking you want to talk about what's below them."

She blushed a deep red herself, before slapping his arm. "I hate you." She muttered in embarrassment to his look of triumph, as she looked away from him, seeing a doll that caught her eye.

Gabriella walked toward it, smoothing out the doll's dress as she kept her focus on it.

"You know, it won't break if you pick it up." She heard him telling her moments later. "It's not like it's some fragile child doll." She nodded, and picked it up carefully, looking at the tag that was attached to it, grinning.

"It is made in China though. So technically, it's a China doll." She teased playfully. "Can I ask why you have this?"

He took a brief moment to think about it, before reluctantly nodding. "Yeah, you can."

"And are you going to tell me?" Troy shrugged.

"Maybe?"

"Well, could you decide soon?" She asked once she saw him starting to ponder it. "Cause you know, we grandmas tend to age real quickly." She joked, giving him a smile.

"Fine." He sighed. "But only because I don't want you to get arrested from growing any older." He poked his tongue out at her and flashed her a small wink. "It was my mom's, she gave it to me."

"Your mother was onto something then." She laughed. "I knew you were a girl underneath all that clothing."

He rolled her eyes at her, taking the doll from her hands. "Sorry Einstein, but that's not why. I was her only child and she loved me enough to give me her most prized possession." He told her, raising the doll up. He looked at the toy that was in his hands and smiled at it. "I was proud to have Skyler as my buddy."

"Oh. So this is the infamous Skyler Chad was talking about." He laughed and shook his head.

"She's not infamous." He retorted, setting her down. "I'm not ashamed of her or anything, but it's not everyday you hear a seventeen year old guy having a doll in a pink dress."

"It's not that bad." Gabriella patted his back. "I think it's sort of sweet that you kept her, even if she wasn't the ideal play thing."

He turned around and gave her a small smile. "Thanks. The only reason I really kept her was because I didn't want to disappoint my mom, but I've kind of gotten used to her."

"Speaking of your mom…where is she?" She asked tentatively, her eyebrows crinkling together when she saw his eyes darkening.

"I'm not going to say, but she's around." His sharp tone of voice told her that she shouldn't push the topic any further.

She shot him a sorry look before going back to her browsing of the small room. "So…does Chad have a Skyler too?" She questioned moments later. "Because that'd be a great piece of blackmail."

"Well, he does have Ernest." He grinned, thankful for the change of topic in their conversation.

The brunette raised and eyebrow and looked at him in surprise. "And the poor thing that is misfortunate enough to be named Ernest is…?"

"His lucky underwear."

And with that, the two teenagers commenced their joined laughter.

--

Their trip back to the park was sort of satisfying. There was a hint of comfort in the silence they had suddenly obtained as the two's legs brought them where they were. The two looked up toward the sun, and saw that it was almost long gone. The park was nearly deserted aside from the joggers getting in their last couple of laps for the day. The children that had once occupied the playground had all gone home with their parents and into their respective homes.

Troy began walking toward the entrance of the park, until he felt a small tug on his hand. He looked over at Gabriella, and turned his vision to the area she had her own eyes focused on; the set of empty swings.

He laughed inwardly, before calling her name. "Gabriella-"

"Do you wanna go on the swings with me?" She asked, pouting her bottom lip out slightly.

He rolled his eyes playfully before letting go of her hands, and sprinting to the swings. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

Gabriella laughed at his statement, before running along to catch up with him.

"Hey, look. It's the egg that's gone bad." He teased, panting slightly. "What took you so long, Grandma?"

"Oh…I don't know. I was too busy recovering from my state of shock." She gave him a sly smirk, pointing to the fallen smock a couple of feet behind them. "Spiderman on a butt can really scare, you know?"

He growled at her playfully. "I happen to like him there, thank you very much. He protects me from pedophiles. I mean, have you seen my face? It's exactly like a baby's." He laughed, and made a face, motioning to his facial features.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Pukey." She laughed, as placed herself on one of the swings. "Let's see who can go higher?"

"Sure. You ready to lose?" He teased, situating himself on the seat.

Troy began swinging himself when she nodded in response. The two of them pumped their legs to the best of their abilities to try to reach a higher height than the other, both keeping the same grin on their face. As the seats started going higher and higher, they both poked their tongues out at each other, both assuming that they were winning before Troy broke their stare, looking past her shoulder.

"What the hell is that guy doing?!" He exclaimed suddenly, catching her attention. She raised an eyebrow, and stopped her leg movements, looking in the direction Troy had pointed out to see what he was talking about.

"What are you talking about? I don't see anyone."

He snickered at her confused tone and grinned when he saw her swing losing momentum. "Huh, I must've been seeing things. But look at that, I'm swinging higher. I win!"

"That's so mean!" She yelled, gaping at him as he laughed and shrugged.

"Sorry. You were an easy target though."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, beginning to swing again. "Whatever, Pukey."

The two teenagers kept swinging, just enjoying the moment and each other's presences. It didn't matter who swung higher anymore. They were just happy that they were there together, acting like little kids again. They looked around at the scenery between them, periodically looking and catching the other's eye contact. They'd smile when that happened and briefly kept it, before looking in a different place. The cycle continued until they got bored of just swinging up and down.

"Do you want to go on the carousel?" He asked moments after both of them had stopped their movements, and were just sitting there.

She grinned at him. "Of course I do. You're pushing though."

"I can handle that." He laughed, getting up and walking over to her. He grabbed her hand, as he helped her off the swing, pulling her toward the metallic attraction. "Sit in the middle, and I'll handle the rest." She nodded and did what he said, watching him sit halfway on the contraption while pushing with the half that wasn't situated on it.

And as the merry-go-round began its rightful job, and spun around after being pushed by Troy, the two teens sat closely in the middle of it. They let the spinning of the area sooth them, before looking at each other to escape from being dizzy. Both stared at each other with such intensity, suddenly trying to figure out what the other was thinking, and who they really were. Each of them unconsciously scooted closer to the other, as Troy balanced himself with one of his hands. He leaned his forehead just a couple of inches from hers, as the intensity of their eye contact increased by volumes.

"I just don't get it." Gabriella whispered softly, voicing her thoughts for once.

His eyes clouded with confusion, as he nodded for her to go on.

"You go through so much trouble to hide yourself." She continued, looking down, at anything, anywhere but his eyes. "Why don't you show them? Show everyone what you've shown me." She gingerly brushed a stray hair away from his face. "Express yourself, show them the real you."

Troy shook his head leaning more into the caress she was now bestowing on his cheek. "They won't understand." He spoke softly, taking in a small breath, as his eyes flickered from her own and to her lips and soon back up to her eyes.

"They never did."

--

**Feedback would be nice. :)**


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